The function of the painted wooden object ranges from the practical to the profound. These objects may perform utilitarian tasks, convey artistic whimsy, connote noble aspirations, and embody the highest spiritual expressions.

This volume, illustrated in color throughout, is the proceedings of a conference organized by the Wooden Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), and held at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia. It includes forty articles that explore the history and conservation of a wide range of painted wooden objects, from polychrome sculpture and altarpieces to carousel horses, tobacconist figures, Native American totems, Victorian garden furniture, French cabinets, architectural elements, and horse-drawn carriages.

Contributors include Ian C. Bristow, an architect and historic building consultant in London; Myriam Serck-Dewaide, head of the Sculpture Workshop, Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique in Brussels; and Frances Gruber Safford, associate curator of American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A broad range of professionals—including art historians, curators, scientists, and conservators—will be interested in this volume and the multidisciplinary nature of its articles.

Conservator Valerie Dorge is a coordinator in the Training Program at the Getty Conservation Institute. F. Carey Howlett is senior conservator for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

This title is out of print. Please look for it at your local libraries and/or used bookstores.

Series: Symposium Proceedings