Sir: Mr Daley's article on conservation in the National Gallery
raises many points. May I reply to two which may particularly have misled your readers?
As a public institution, the National Gallery attaches great importance to pub- lishing full accounts of its activities and to answering inquiries from the public. We devote to this the time and resources that we can afford. I think it can fairly be said that we make available more, and more detailed, information on conservation than any comparable institution in the world. I am sorry if Mr Daley felt that the very con- siderable amount of time spent in conversa- tion and correspondence with him by my colleagues was less than his due.
Mr Daley suggested in his article that original paint had been removed in the recent restoration of the Bramantino. May I reassure your readers that the modelling on the front of the pink casket to which he refers was later repaint, added over areas of existing damage. This is clear from the X- ray photographs in the dossier which Mr Daley consulted, but evidently misunder- stood. The repaint was almost certainly put on by the Italian restorer Molteni in the `We had to economise on the Regimental mascot.' mid-19th century to suit the picture to con- temporary taste.
Neil MacGregor
Director, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2
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