Dariusz Markowski

This paper presents briefly the characteristics of an art conservator’s workshop and aspires to justify its role and significance in the process of authenticity verification. The number of doubtful works of art appearing on the art market is growing. One can risk the statement that currently there are no longer any auctions where only originals appear. Unfortunately, very often art dealers do not check the authenticity of offered works of art using the application of scientific methods. In the western Europe, most of the studies related to the structure of art work, technology, and technique are reserved for chemists and physicists. In Poland, university conservator studies predisposes graduates to perform both stricte conservation and scientific operations. Hence the role of a conservator in Poland is special owing to the range of methods of verification: establishing the state of preservation (for example, analysis of the type and character of cracking and reasons for their appearance and origin); visual analysis in using visual light (including side light, passing light, macrophotography); ultraviolet light analysis of the fluorescence of varnish, type of resin and pigments, location of secondary added layers and interferences) in IR light and RTG photos; and correct interpretation of results of the detailed structural examinations. A conservator of works of arts can use a range of examination methods including: ultraviolet fluorescence and reflectography, infrared reflectography, optical microscopy, radiography, neutron autoradiography, chromatographic techniques, x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and more complex methods such as: neutron activation analysis, Ramman’s spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy with Fourier’s transformation (FT-IR) and optical coherence tomography (OCT).