Historical Evidence or Just Acts of Vandalism

Abstract

Every object is physical proof of history. The object serves as a manifestation of raw material, human thoughts, and events. Once the heritage expert accepts this, he takes responsibility for interacting with its history by preserving it, adding to it, or removing it. This article defines three aspects of intended interaction with an object's history: restoration, de-restoration and re-restoration. When preparing an object for exhibition or study, ethical considerations, formed through the years amongst museums and organisations, should be considered in order to achieve the best decision regarding an object's treatment. There is no single solution to issues that derive from past restorations as noted in the case studies presented here from the Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia.