Preventive conservation has made the news in a big way thanks to “Divine Intervention”, Cullen Murphy’s cover story in the April 2019 issue of The Wall Street Journal Magazine. Murphy writes at some length and detail about the measures that are being taken to maintain the Sistine Chapel in its present restored condition with as little direct intervention as possible. This is done by a staff of more than 100 who monitor heat, humidity, CO2 and particulate matter; maintain a temperature of between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius, humidity below 60%, and CO2 level lower than 800 parts per million; and sometimes remove contaminants from painted surfaces. As Murphy notes, the Sistine Chapel is high maintenance.
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