Abstract
Up to the end of the Renaissance, wood was the main support for the art painting, mainly because of its softness, easy way to work with and its mechanical resistance (the specific resistance of the poplar can be compared with the one of the steel) and its good durability. Since a long time, restoration ateliers have preferred to keep secret the problems of conservation and restoration of these wood paintings. Some of them have open their minds now, and there is need for an understanding of phenomenons; this is why they work in an open relationship with scientists. Two approaches have been considered in this work. On the one hand, discussions restoration and conservation people, in order to find solution suited to their needs. On the other hand, the involved phenomenon involved are really complex, consequently, there is also the need for the development of specifics tools. These tools have to take into account the mechanical structure, humidity and specific characteristics of wood. One of the goal is to predict the painting behaviour along time, first with the study of their actual state, by the in-situ monitoring of the shape (preferably non-destructive, without contact, optical measuring). It was also necessary to develop some experiments, as characterisation test, wood material behaviour modelling, in order to predict wooden painting evolution. Applications of these study were mainly concerning the analysis of the painting Mona Lisa, the Couronnement d'épines and of recent curative technics (frame with springs for example).