Problems of presentation of damaged wooden reliquaries from the cathedral of Pope St. Stephen in Hvar

Ovim se tekstom želi usmjeriti pozornost na postupnost u donošenju odluka o rekonstrukciji kao jednom od načela konzervatorsko-restauratorske struke, te demonstrirati primjenu tog načela na primjeru drvenih pozlaćenih i polikromiranih relikvijara iz katedrale Sv. Stjepana pape u Hvaru koji su restaurirani 2008./2009. godine u Restauratorskom odjelu Hrz-a u Splitu. U radu je predstavljeno više mogućih metoda rekonstrukcije–od one tradicionalne do uporabe modernijih materijala te se analiziraju njihove prednosti i mane na primjeru hvarskih relikvijara.In practice we are often faced with the problem of reconstructing parts of an artwork. If we decide (not) to do it, we must offer purposeful arguments. The positive experience of foreign colleagues suggests that, in addition to taking advice from art historians, it is also useful to consult conservation experts from different fields, such as sculptors, designers, chemists and physicists. The intention of the article’s author was to draw attention to gradual decision making in the process of reconstruction as one of the principles of conservation and restoration, and to demonstrate the application of this principle in the case of wooden polychrome and gilded reliquaries from the cathedral of Pope St. Stephen in Hvar, which were restored in 2008/2009 in the Croatian Conservation Institute – Department of Split, as a part of their regular program. The paper analyzes several methods of reconstruction – from the traditional one to the use of modern materials and the advantages and disadvantages of their usage in the case of selected examples. Original storage conditions, physical characteristics of materials that could be used for the reconstruction of the relics and the overall aesthetic impression have all been taken into account when deciding about their restoration. Restoration interventions were elaborated together with a thorough evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of the restoration proposal: the reconstruction in timber with the purpose of distinction between the original and the reconstructed part, the usage of Plexiglas and copper wires