Niektóre ogólne problemy konserwacji mebli zabytkowych

General technical, methodical and aesthetic problems encountered by the conservator of furniture in his work have been presented in the article. The first part brings to the foreground major deterioration, biotic and abiotic factors as well as characteric features o f wood as the basic material. The elements have been put in the following three problem groups: (a) damages resulting from the properties o f wood, (b) damages due to faulty process employed, and (c) damages characteristic of improper use and maintenance o f individual pieces of furniture. Apart from that, development of techniques and technologies of the manufacture and decoration of furniture has also been given in the article, while all aforementioned elements have been discussed from the viewpoint o f different utility and decorative functions of the furniture as a work of art. Such an appraisal of the furniture of historic merit provides a point of departure for the reflections broadly justifying the need to use revalorization as a conservation method in this group o f objects. The expatiation of this thought took place on the basis o f both technical arguments such as a progressive character o f damages done and aesthetic arguments which make us to look at a piece of furniture not only as a complex structure with a specific artistic form but also as an element in the furnishing o f the interior representative of a given historic epoch. This viewpoint leads to the final conclusion that only the shape of the object, given originally by its creator, has an aesthetic, cognitive and utility value and does not introduce a disharmony into the consonance of these elements. Finally, the role of conservation documents has been emphasized as a source of the information on the object and the epoch.