Description

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Author David Saunders, former keeper of conservation and scientific research at the British Museum, explores how to balance the conflicting goals of visibility and preservation under a variety of conditions. Beginning with the science of how light, color, and vision function and interact, he proceeds to offer detailed studies of the impact of light on a wide range of objects, including paintings, manuscripts, textiles, bone, leather, and plastics.
 
With analyses of the effects of light on visibility and deterioration, Museum Lighting provides practical information to assist curators, conservators, and other museum professionals in making critical decisions about the display and preservation of objects in their collections.
 

About the Author

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David Saunders is an honorary research fellow at the British Museum, having been keeper of conservation and scientific research there for ten years, until 2015. He was previously in the Scientific Department at the National Gallery in London. He is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and vice president of the International Institute of Conservation. In 2015–16, he was a guest scholar at the Getty Conservation Institute, conducting the research that underpins much of this book.
 

Praise For…

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“Well researched and clearly written. . . . With its forward-thinking approach to lighting and the updated information on technology, sustainability, and guidelines used in museum lighting, this publication will quickly become an invaluable resource for conservators, curators, and other museum professionals.”
—Diane E. Knauf, News in Conservation
 

“A great achievement. I unreservedly recommend Museum Lighting which, in my opinion, seems set to become a landmark resource for museum professionals the world over.”
—Celia Bockmuehl, Journal of the Institute of Conservation
 

“The most definitive work on the subject. . . . An invaluable reference book, which can be accessed hurriedly by those seeking an answer to a particular question or enjoyed in a more leisurely fashion by enthusiasts of colour theory or lighting design. . . . The quality of the research underpinning the content is evident throughout, and the helpful flagging of further reading allows the reader to dig deeper should this be required.”
 
— Isobel Griffin

“Comprehensive . . . very firmly rooted in science . . . brimming with usefulness.”
— Jenny Mathiasson

"Museum Lighting: A Guide for Conservators and Curators provides a straightforward approach to the subject and makes it accessible to a wide audience. As a result, it is likely to become a set text for years to come. The book has the advantage of not only neatly summarising the relevant research but, for those that want to read more deeply, also providing a great source for references in the field."
 
— Naomi Luxford