15 CONCLUSION

Perhaps one may sum up Helmut Ruhemann's feeling about his work as follows:

‘The restorer is a servant of the painter. He must strive to acquire technical skill and the ability to use the best methods available, in order to be able to make the painting again express the vision of the painter.’

This can never be done with total success. However, his methods as they are described here, and have been developed since, always had this aim in mind, and he achieved a degree of perfection which must fill one with admiration.