Posted by Yon Bard on April 11, 1999 at 14:52:37:
In Reply to: Restoration vs. Conservation? posted by Steve Price on April 11, 1999 at 07:53:06:
: To me, it would have been better to leave the rug the way it was and to sew on a backing in some unobtrusive color so that it would hold together. My brain would have filled in the design elements in those areas.
I fully agree with the above comment if the rug has gashes and/or holes. But what to do if there are significant areas of bare foundation? I find those too ugly to look at, and I would prefer to have the area repiled, even if the job isn't done perfectly (and, with aging, a repiling job never stays perfect).
As for retouched paintings, what if 10% were repainted? 20%? 50%? I don't think we'd feel that different about it than comparably repiled rugs. On the other hand, painting restoration by removing dirt and inferior prior overpainting in order to expose the original is another matter entirely - the Sistine chapel restoration is not a relevant example for a discussion of rugs.
Regards Yon