“Rétablir la partie antique isolée de toutes ses restaurations”: A major conservation treatment of the pointed amphora by the Achilles Painter

Abstract

Purchased in Rome during the winter of 1847-1848, the pointed amphora by the Achilles Painter is one of the centerpieces of the Duke of Luynes’ collection of Greek vases held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). The rarity of its shape and the virtuosity of its decoration make it one of the greatest masterpieces of this Athenian vase painter active in the middle decades of the 5th century BC. However, scholars soon noticed the extent of its 19th-century illusionistic restoration.The renovation of the BnF museum provided the opportunity to resume the study and envision the conservation treatment of this vase. Under the supervision of a scientific committee, a preliminary investigation conducted at the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) led to the decision to undertake a major conservation treatment. The intervention aimed to highlight this masterpiece of Greek vase-painting, facilitate the understanding of the shape of this incomplete amphora and preserve a testimony of 19th-century restoration practices.