Conservation and Restoration

The Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation is recognized both at home and abroad for its technical and scientific skills in the area of decorative arts, traditional crafts and conservation and restoration. With vast experience in training through its schools (formerly ESAD and IAO, now Escola de Artes e Ofícios) and the work developed in its crafts workshops, the Foundation’s expertise in the field of conservation and restoration profits from the synergies created by a unique tripartite model made up of the Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts, the training offered in its schools and the Foundation’s workshops. The Department of Conservation and Restoration scientifically coordinates the interventions undertaken, from surveying the state of conservation and diagnosis, to the definition of methodologies and their implementation. Reflecting the demanding requirements of Conservation and Restoration, the Foundation understands the fundamental importance of a multidisciplinary approach in understanding the heritage on which it intervenes. In this sense, collaboration with technicians of the various workshops brings a unique value to all the Foundation’s interventions of recovery and safeguarding of movable and immovable heritage.