The object has
a history.

Selected reference

Art Conservation for Private Collectors: What to Know, When to Act

• Conservation is the discipline of preserving and restoring a work, and the conservator's role is to keep the work in the best condition possible given its age and history.
• The most common conservation events are condition checks at acquisition, before sale, before loan, and after any environmental event (water damage, fire, transport incident).
• The right conservator is independent, has documented experience with the artist's work, and is willing to write a treatment proposal and to document the work in writing.
• Conservation is a recurring cost of running a collection, not a one-time project, and the budget should be planned annually, not reactively.