Authenticity in the Nineteenth- and Twentieth-century Conservation and Restoration of Historical/Cultural Works Based on Expert Views

Since authenticity is one of the most fundamental concepts in the philosophy of conservation-restoration and conservation-restoration intervention, it is affected by the type of approach to authenticity. Moreover, authenticity is related to other concepts such as value, integrity, and intention of the artist in the history of conservation. In this article, we study this concept during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by reviewing and analyzing the history of conservation and restoration and expert views of authenticity to determine different approaches to it through a qualitative research method and content analysis strategy. Different approaches to authenticity, regardless of their historical course, can be classified into three main groups. The first approach considers the authenticity of fixed components in a work—those that persist through time. This persistence gives them value and authenticity and justifies the work for conservation. The second approach considers authenticity with the historicity of the work, which can be called process authenticity. Finally, the third approach is an observer-centered (audience-centered) approach that prioritizes the observer as the basis for judgment about the authenticity of a property.