The Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation of Movable Sights
The Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation of Movable Sights of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve is one of the largest restoration departments among the museum institutions of Ukraine. It carries on the restoration tradition that dates back to 1927, to the restoration laboratory of the Ukrainian museum complex on the territory of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Today’s restorers working at the Preserve hone the principles of the Ukrainian restoration school that were laid down during its 85 years of development.
One of the department’s main tasks is carrying out conservation and restoration works on the historical and cultural artefacts from the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve fund collection as well as cooperating with other National preserves and leading museums in Ukraine.
Twenty two restorers work at the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation carrying out restoration of tempera and oil paintings; wooden polychrome sculptures; drawings; early printed books; engravings and documents; ferrous, nonferrous and precious metals; leather; historical and valuable textiles; archaeological artefacts.
The department collects and studies information relating to problems of storage, research and restoration of artefacts, using its own research studies and consulting more broadly local and foreign sources, and advises museum workers on these issues. The Department takes part in seminars and conferences on the restoration and conservation of artefacts, prepares articles for publication in scientific journals both in Ukraine and abroad, and takes measures for the continuing training of art restorers and museum workers.
In recent years, restorers have breathed new life into more than a thousand artefacts from the funds of the Preserve and from the museum collections in Kyiv and Ukraine. Works restored by the department’s specialists have been displayed at numerous exhibitions: the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve and various cities in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Finland and the United States of America.