Intentio operis. From the “enclosed garden” to the open work

The typology of intentions as defined by Umberto Eco and, in particular, what he calls the "Intentio operis", helps to highlight one of the specificities of the conservator. His/her special knowledge of the materiality of a work helps him/her to grasp its "aesthetic potential": that is what it offers , intrinsically, for experience, regardless of the artist's intentions or the spectator's interpretations. Should acknowledgment of both issues be necessary, it is the physical consistency of the work that must first guide the conservator in restoration interventions. Restoring the work of art preserves its physical consistency, so that it remains as the support of an experience that may be different in the future. This poses the question: What methodology should be adopted to avoid both the pitfalls of historical restoration and those of creative restoration?