A fundamental role of a museum is to care for its collection and preserve it for future generations. European drawings from the 1300s to the late 1800s, or old master drawings, are particularly vulnerable–they are on paper and hundreds of years old. A paper conservator must find the balance between maintaining the historical integrity of the drawing while preserving the appearance intended by the artist.
Watch a Getty conservator analyze and treat a drawing using a variety of techniques in this short video from The J. Paul Getty Museum
