These wide range its specialist skills, from preventive conservation - including collections survey, storage and transportation consultation, proper display and environmental maintenance -  to conservation and restoration, technical examination and inspection of artefacts and the design and installation of exhibitions, to museums, heritage organisations, institutions, antiques trade, family owners and collectors.

The sections advise on the options available and carry out appropriate treatment. Every object is unique, as is its use and context, so every treatment proposal is fully discussed with the owner and approved in advance. Works brought in for treatment are insured and kept within the museum secured premises.

This diverse group of objects is challenging for our conservators since private collections house works spanning many eras (from pre historic times to modern) from a variety of geographic origins and cultures. They are composed of a wide range of materials and are intended for quite different uses: liturgical, ornamental or even everyday.

Works in our care are treated according to the national and international codes of ethics in the conservation field. Operations aim to suspend damage factors, remove old, distorting interventions or unsuitable supports, and preserve the structural stability and aesthetic appearance of the objects, taking into account the artist’s original intent, the passing of time but also the particularities of the environment to which it will be returned to. Basic conservation treatments will involve from condition assessment, documentation, stabilisation and cleaning to repair and restoration.

Family relics and collectables - icons, easels, utensils and jewellery made of metal and glass, documents, prints and drawings, books, maps, watercolours, textiles, ceramics and photographs - are the most popular “guests” of the department; while a Chinese folding lacquer screen, an antique hob nail safe, ancient glass vessels, a funerary gold wreath and the painted decorations of houses and churches are amongst the exceptional cases.

Conservation Consultancy (by appointment) > Mon – Th: 9.30 am – 2.30 pm
www.conservation@benaki.gr