The Search for an Ideal: Reversibility in Ceramic Conservation

The latter half of the twentieth century is marked by an ever growing concern and respect for the original artefact as well as for previous restorations. This trend may be explained by the difficulty encountered in removing old interventions, by developments in polymer science which have provided a wide variety of synthetic materials for conservation use, and by advances in analytical science which enable a more detailed examination of our cultural heritage. The development of reversible treatments is a logical outcome from this trend. Methods and materials used in ceramics repair from antiquity to the present are examined according to their ease and extent of removability. Numerous interpretations of the term ‘reversible' are discussed.