Exposure to environmental, biological, chemical and physical elements along with human negligence, means that a work of art starts deteriorating from the moment it is created. Deterioration of art works cannot be prevented, only retarded through careful preservation (protection of art objects from any form of deterioration) and restoration (repair or retrieval of an art object to its original state). All art objects require restoration at some point. This includes oil paintings on canvas, oil paintings on oil paper, acrylics on canvas, acrylics on paper, watercolours on paper, miniatures, prints, metal and wooden objects, terracotta sculptures, glass and pottery, textiles, mixed media and photographs. Physical deterioration of oil paintings and paper works can take place in the form of weakening of the canvas, tears, holes, losses in ground layer, cracking, cupping, flaking, shrinking of the paint layer, darkening of the varnish, accumulation of dust, dirt, grease and soot. While chemical deterioration includes colour changes and changes in chemical composition of the varnish, attacks by fungus, termites, silver fish, and cockroaches cause biological deterioration. Human factors play a key role in facilitating the deterioration of art works as well - these factors include negligence in storage, packaging, display, transportation, vandalism, and even restoration done by untrained, inexperienced people who use inferior quality materials and unethical techniques. Art objects made of metal, wood, glass, terracotta and pottery primarily suffer from chemical reactions, encrustations and human negligence. Their restoration generally involves a process of cleaning, rejoining of the broken pieces, filling and colour matching to make it look complete and whole again.     > Paintings should ideally be displayed in temperatures ranging from 16 to 25 degrees centigrade with 50-55% humidity. > Regularly dust your paintings with a soft cloth or brush. > Periodically remove the painting from the wall and clean the back of the frame thoroughly. > Clean the lower portion more carefully as it tends to gather a lot more dust and soot. > Instead of having a single peg or nail to hang a painting it is advised to have two pegs which will secure the painting and also prevent it from tilting. > Heavy paintings will be better protected if they are supported at the base. > Some of the modern paintings do not have proper stretchers with wedges. The canvas is stretched on a rigid frame instead. The members of the frame and the crossbars don't have the slant at their inner edges. This causes 'stretcher image' on the paintings when the canvas becomes loose due to change in humidity. To avoid this, the painting should be re-stretched on a proper stretcher with flexible corners, so that the paintings can be tightened by driving in the keys. > When you put a painting under a glass, give clear instructions to your framer that the glass and the paint surface should be separated by a mount-board. > If you notice some fluffy spots, which appear in white, green, or grey shades, it is almost certain that the painting is affected by fungus. The painting should immediately be separated from any other works in your collection. When fungus attack is detected early, the treatment is simple and it is highly recommended that the work be taken to a professional art restorer on priority. > When packing art-works for transport or storage, put strips of scotch tape all over the glass-surface on works which are framed under glass. In case of breakage, splinters of glass will remain held together and will not damage the painted surface. > All art works need to be cleaned regularly and proper attention must be paid to their display, storage, packaging and transportation.       > If the painting is flaking, do not dust it as there is the danger of paint falling off. > Do not hang a painting on a damp wall or store your paintings in a dark unventilated room, as these conditions activate growth of fungus. > Do not display a painting where there is direct sunlight. The ultra-violet rays of sunlight are harmful for the colours used in a painting. > Do not hang a painting under an air conditioner or in front of room-cooler. > Do not hang a painting over a fireplace which is in use. > When your house is being painted, do not keep your painting hanging on the wall, however large they may be. Take the trouble of removing them and store them safely. > Avoid rolling up paintings, especially those with impasto or a thick layer of paint.   Appropriate preservation and restoration increases the life of an art work, thereby also increasing its value and allowing you to enjoy your treasures for many years to follow.     Priya Khanna is the founder of The Art Life Restoration Studio, one of India's leading art restoration services.   Image courtesy: The Art Life Restoration Studio, Delhi & the current owners of the works.