Hand in Hand

One stereotypical image of a conservator - or an artist - is of a lone figure absorbed in their work at an easel. This is, of course, rarely the full picture: whether in the making of artworks or the conservation of them, collaboration is often fundamental to the process. Conservators work with each other and with art historians, scientists, artists, stakeholders and many others. The objects they encounter are themselves not always the work of a single hand. The successes and challenges of working collaboratively are brought to the fore in this volume of papers presented at the British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers conference Hand in Hand: Collaboration in Art and Conservation. Through a focus on working together, the contributions explore a wide range of questions addressing practical treatments, technical investigations, ethical questions and public engagement in relation to paintings dating from the fifteenth to the twenty-first century.