Principles of Restoration: Examples and Desiderata (1906)

This essay by Sigurd Curman was originally published in Kult och Konst (Culture and art) in 1906, a journal dedicated to ecclesiastical art, music, and liturgical issues. The journal was only published from 1905 to 1908, and Sigurd Curman was a member of the editorial board. The essay "Principles of Restoration" was a revised version of a speech that Curman gave at a colloquium in Uppsala in November 1906. The year before, Curman had returned from a two-year journey to Germany, France, and Italy, where he had studied architectural restoration in theory and practice. The essay shows what he experienced on his travels, and it also reflects that stylistic restoration was still clearly a controversial issue across Europe. In Sweden these matters were also hotly discussed; Curman's speech and his article were obviously a contribution to this debate. His international outlook and his experiences from abroad were valuable assets as he established himself in the professional field during these years. Due to Curman's importance within Swedish cultural heritage, the essay "Principles of Restoration" has become an important historiographical reference.