Modern completion needs its own layer
Keep restored volume distinct from surviving material while respecting the purpose of the current installation.
Locate visible evidence, identify technical claims by source and preserve every inaccessible or uncertain surface.
Start from documented categories
Color difference can suggest a fill but cannot classify it. Use museum, conservation or publication records for terms such as restoration, modern completion and reconstruction. When records are unavailable, describe only the visible boundary, texture and current display relation.
Map extent at whole-object scale
A close fill detail can exaggerate its importance or lose orientation. First record the complete object and its support, then locate the intervention on a simple outline. Include areas hidden by case, base or shadow as unknown rather than extending the map through them.
Preserve tonal difference
Editors sometimes equalize color until restored and surviving areas merge. Retain the master and apply only declared changes. Color appearance remains conditioned by light and camera, so the image cannot establish fill composition. Its task is to document visible differentiation on one date.
Separate structural and visual roles
A completion may carry weight, connect fragments, indicate lost volume or improve legibility. The photograph does not independently reveal its purpose. Describe physical relation and cite technical sources for function. Do not call a neutral support cosmetic or structural without evidence.
Treat edges as interpretations
The boundary of a fill can be sharp, feathered, hidden or visually integrated. Automated segmentation will often misclassify dust, shadow and differently weathered material. Inspect every mask and publish it as an annotated derivative beside the unmarked source.
Compare display states
Older and newer photographs may show altered fills or mount. Align them using stable object features and retain each date, creator and rights statement. A visible difference establishes change between images; it does not explain the reason without institutional documentation.
Protect responsive crops
At narrow screen widths, ensure a layout does not remove the boundary discussed. Choose object-position deliberately or show the full image. The website is another editorial layer, and its crop must not silently turn restored volume into the complete object.
Caption without judgment
Avoid language that ranks restoration as deceptive, crude or perfect from appearance alone. State visible extent, current installation, source and limits. A responsible caption respects conservation work while keeping the modern layer available for scrutiny.
Record boundaries under two views
A fill boundary can disappear under frontal light and reappear obliquely. Use both permitted views and state that visibility varies with imaging. Do not select only the most dramatic edge; the comparison itself shows how dependent appearance is on light and angle.
Avoid material naming by color
White, gray or brown completion can represent many materials, coatings or lighting effects. Use generic fill or visually distinct area until a professional source supplies composition. Copy the terminology and date of that source rather than translating appearance into technical certainty.
Track editorial masks
If a diagram colors fills, store the mask as a separate file with creator, source image, resolution and version. Inspect thin edges at full size and on mobile. Automated selections can swallow ancient surface or leave halos that imply another intervention boundary.
Compare extent, not quality
Historical images may show more or less completion. Describe visible extent and uncontrolled imaging variables. Avoid judging past work as better or worse from appearance alone. Conservation choices belong to their documentation, ethics, goals and date, none of which a photograph independently recovers.
This editorial method is not diagnosis, monitoring, authentication or treatment advice. Raise immediate concerns with museum staff and use qualified professional records.