ABSTRACT
The 1974 Greenwich Comparative Lining Conference was the first opportunity for conservators to discuss this subject internationally (Villers, 2003). It brought together a group of specialists from around the world with very different views regarding what was to be expected from a lining. Each practitioner described his or her own practice; an awareness of shortcomings in many of the current approaches emerged, along with a growing awareness of deficiencies in understanding the reasons for lining. V. Mehra argued that a lining should be entirely reversible and not change a canvas painting at all (Mehra, 1974/2003). Although his proposed materials and methods were perhaps not yet fully convincing in 1974, his ethical position set a challenge that has proved influential. More subtle treatment solutions were necessary.
