WALL PAINTING DETACHMENT: HISTORY AND METHODOLOGY

GVANTSA POTSKHISHVILI; NANA KUPRASHVILI; NUTSA PAPIASHVILI

GVANTSA POTSKHISHVILI Ph.D. student in the doctoral program ‘Conservation and the Protection of Cultural Heritage’, Faculty of Restoration, Art History and Theory, Tbilisi State Academy of Art 22, Griboedov Str., Tbilisi, 0108, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0007-1227-9271
NANA KUPRASHVILI Ph.D., Professor at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art, Head of the Restoration Program at the Faculty of Restoration, Art History and Theory, Director of the Conservation Scientific Research Center under the Faculty of Restoration, Art History and Theory at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art 22, Griboedov Str., Tbilisi, 0108, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2682-5399
NUTSA PAPIASHVILI Ph.D. student in the doctoral program ‘Conservation and the Protection of Cultural Heritage’, Faculty of Restoration, Art History and Theory, Tbilisi State Academy of Art, Scientific researcher at the Conservation Scientific Research Center under the Faculty of Restoration, Art History and Theory at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art 22, Griboedov Str., Tbilisi, 0108, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8669-1062

Abstract

The article reviews the history and methodology of wall painting detachment, both in international and Georgian contexts. Special attention is devoted to the ethical, technical, and professional aspects of wall painting detachment. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that, both in Georgia and abroad, many detached fragments still exist, and over the past decades, wall paintings are still being removed without sufficient research and justification. Such interventions cause significant damage to cultural heritage monuments.

The research includes an analysis of both local and international experiences. It describes wall painting detachment techniques such as strappo, stacco, and stacco a massello—their advantages and disadvantages, purposes of use, and the outcomes achieved.

Local and international examples are identified, including interventions on various monuments in Italy, Switzerland, and Georgia. The aim of the research is to encourage professional discussion, improve conservation practices, and reconsider the standards for applying the detachment method.

It is emphasized that wall painting detachment should be considered as an extreme measure and carried out only when it is impossible to preserve the painting in its original location. For this purpose, it is important to involve interdisciplinary conservation-restoration specialists, use modern research methods, and critically analyze each case.

Keywords: Wall painting; Detachment; Conservation; Restoration; Methodology; Cultural heritage; Professional ethics.