The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 4 (190), 1034—1043
UDK 75.052:75.025.3(477.83-25)
- Received: 21.07.2026
- Accepted: 27.07.2026
- Published: ??.??.2026
ATTENTION TO DETAIL: ATTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION OF MULTI-LAYERED WALL PAINTING IN A RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR (The Case of the Eminovych Townhouse in Lviv)
KARPIV Vasyl
- ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1297-8829
- Ph.D in Art Studies, Restorer of Monumental Art,
- Head of the Restoration Bureau «Karp Restorer»,
- Lecturer at the Lviv National Academy of Arts,
- 38 Kubiyovycha St., 79011, Lviv, Ukraine,
- Contacts: e-mail: vasylkarpiv@gmail.com
ZMIІEVSKA Iryna
- ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0437-0892
- Restorer of Monumental Art, Project Manager
- of the Restoration Bureau «Karp Restorer»,
- junior researcher
- at the Lviv National Academy of Arts,
- 38 Kubiyovycha St., 79011, Lviv, Ukraine,
- Contacts: e-mail: irarest31@gmail.com
IHERI Oksana
- ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8383-227X
- Ph.D in Art Studies, Senior Researcher
- at the Art Studies Department,
- The Institute of Ethnology of the National Academy
- of Sciences of Ukraine,
- 15, Svobody Avenue, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
- Contacts:e-mail: oheriy@ukr.net
Abstract. The article examines the problems of attribution and conservation of a multi-layered wall painting from different historical periods, uncovered during the restoration of the Eminovich townhouse at 17 Virmenska Street in Lviv. The current objective of preserving the authentic structure of the wall painting as comprehensively as possible, together with the cultural and historical evidence embedded within it, demanded carefully tailored methods of research, conservation, and display. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to analyse the experience gained during the conservation of the multi-layered wall paintings in the principal rooms on the second floor of the Eminovich townhouse and to highlight the role of art-historical analysis in shaping conservation decisions under conditions of incomplete preservation.
The study demonstrates that each historical layer of the wall painting reflects a distinct stage in the architectural development of the building, corresponding to changes in the artistic preferences of its owners and in the decorative culture of a particular period. Despite the severe fragmentation of all painting layers created over the course of two and a half centuries, it was possible to identify a consistent compositional principle governing the decoration of the reception rooms, notwithstanding its responsiveness to changing European artistic fashions. The landscapes and ornamental decoration preserved on the walls testify to the close integration of Lviv’s inhabitants into the broader European cultural milieu and to their familiarity with the aesthetic ideals of their time.
Keywords: attribution; mural transfer; multi-layered wall paintings; conservation research; wall painting conservation; Rococo decorative painting; cultural heritage.
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