It reflects on the interactions between changes wrought by material provenances and deterioration and the changes in appreciation and canonization. 

Unique in The Netherlands, the UvA offers the opportunity to merge in-depth scientific research of Old Masters and archaeological artifacts with the traditional humanities approaches. The ACHI supports collaboration between scientists, conservator-restorers, curators, and historians to create innovative synergies regarding the cultural role of objects in various stages of their existence, extending to issues such as the trade and innovation of materials, restoration ethics, and strategies of display and reuse.

The domain will pair the analysis of physical properties to the critical and historical analysis of a wide range of objects: from ancient material culture, through Renaissance oil paintings, to the applied, contemporary, and new media arts.