Restoration dilemaDear Miguel, I am a restorer and I can tell you that a good restoration should take care only of what it is present and visible on the original work. Everything that a painter or a restorer adds not visible in the original is dangerous for the identity card of the work restored (in this case the sundial). Every addition or recostruction shoul be leaded by documents, old photos, drawings etc. Everything replaced should be painted in a subtone color and with a filled stucco lower levelled. Everything added without a testimony document is fake and not permitted to a good restored.
A good restored can only complete broken hour lines for example, but not paint numbers or signs desappeared. Only complete what it is still visible and only if the added part to complete the image fragment is sure to be as the restorer will paint again (example, a disappeared point of an arrow, or a lost ray of a painted sun etc.), A good restore should save all that can be saved in the original work. He never have to paint again oll the dial, or replace the mortar completely, or painting over the original colours, or correct gnomonical errors of the original author, at list one can produce tables to explane why the dial is wrong. Mario
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