This presentation aims to examine the interest that artists of the Long 19th Century (1789–1914) took in the material evolution of their paintings after they were completed—whether they remained in their possession, were acquired by the commissioners, resold to new owners, or integrated into museum collections.

Through various examples, we will explore these concerns, beginning with the context of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period marked by experiments conducted by painters and manufacturers of restoration products in France, at a time when the profession of restorer was specified. We will then focus on the changes that took place during the mid-19th century, when the administration implemented restructuring efforts, not only affecting the restoration workshops of the Louvre, but also regulating painters’ interventions on their works once these were conserved into museums. Finally, we will analyze the networks and professionals that artists of the second half of the 19th century relied on for the restoration of their paintings, as well as the advice they themselves provided for their preservation.

Drawing from various sources, including some unpublished correspondence, we will study the attention artists paid to the material conservation of their works, their concerns in certain cases, and the measures they took to ensure their paintings were restored or preserved over the long term. These documents reveal the steps artists undertook to ensure the restoration of their paintings but also the extent—or limitations—of their expertise.

Barbara Jouves-Hann has a PhD in Art History from the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, specializing in the History of conservation and restoration in France. She is currently Head of Studies and Research at the agency Madelénat Architecture and a research engineer at the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, where she oversees the “Research and Restoration” project for the Domaine de recherche et d’innovation majeurs (DIM) « Patrimoines matériels – innovation, expérimentation, résilience » (PAMIR) of the Région Île-de-France. She also teaches at the Institut national du patrimoine and at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. She published in 2024 Amateurs et restaurateurs de tableaux à Paris (1789-1870) (Éditions de la Sorbonne) ; she has written various articles for La Revue des Musées de France, Journal of the History of Collections, and Technè ; and she has founded the GRHAM Editions (Groupe de Recherche en Histoire de l’Art Moderne).

Maxime Georges Métraux is an art historian who works at Galerie Hubert Duchemin and teaches at Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne. He was scientific curator of the exhibitions “Chic Emprise: Cultures, usages et sociabilités du tabac du XVIe au XVIIIe siècle”(2019, La Rochelle, musée du Nouveau Monde) and “Robert Schuman et le pays du Soleil Levant: Une histoire rocambolesque de la collection Matsukata” (2023, Scy-Chazelles, Maison Robert Schuman). His publications include the exhibition catalog Les Animaux du Roi (2021, Versailles, Château de Versailles) and Oudry / Oudrymania: Fables, chasses, combats (2024, Chantilly, Château de Chantilly). He is also a regular contributor to Journal des Arts and Beaux-Arts Magazine, a founding member of GRHAM (Groupe de Recherche en Histoire de l’Art Moderne), and a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the Société de l’Histoire de l’Art Français.