Restoration principles
Modern ideas about the restoration of ruined areas of flooring are based on the principles governing the restoration of lacunae which were formulated by the Italian theorist Cesare Brandi in the 1960s and enshrined in the Charter of Venice in 1964. These principles are: that rebuilding based on hypothesis should be avoided; that lacunae should be restored with compatible materials that will not damage the ancient materials at some future date; that non-specialists should be able to recognise the interventions easily; and that the interventions should be reversible. The restoration was carried out in close collaboration with representatives of the disciplines concerned and involved studying the original materials and drawing up plans for the conservation and aesthetic restoration of the floors.
Restoration of the mosaic floors in the south and west stoas
On the basis of the project it was considered advisable to conserve and restore both levels of flooring in these stoas, because they constitute evidence of the construction phases of the Palace. The proposal that was adopted involved restoring the marble slabs of the later floor and preserving on either side of them the mosaics of the first construction phase or the opus segmentatum, depending on the condition and the artistic interest of each case. The floors were relaid at the same altitude as in the ancient period. The geometrical motifs in the opus segmentatum were supplemented by scoring the mortar of the substratum.
