ABOUT

“With the aim of preserving public and private heritage, I provide specialized diagnostics, intervention and packaging services for works of art on paper, documents, artistic and bibliographic collections, acting both individually and as a team leader.

At an institutional level, I am responsible for preparing and assembling works for exhibitions, providing technical assistance and monitoring as a courier.”

I have worked as a paper, parchment and book conservator-restorer since 1997, an area that I chose as a vocation which combines science and humanities.

I value the learning that each project offers me, I seek excellence, and I believe in the value of preserving heritage to project knowledge, art and technology from the past into the future, keeping the thread of history alive.

I am an expert in paper behavior and in the most effective methods for preserving it both in storage and exhibition environments. I specialize in works of art and archival documents on paper, parchment, and leather, as well as movable and three-dimensional objects, such as books and globes. My expertise also extends to Asian-origin items, including folding screens and scrolls, along with other composite objects.

I graduated from the Escuela Superior de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales de Madrid in 1997 and began my career at the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas as well as in the private sector.

I have lived and worked in Lisbon since 2001.

I started working in the Conservation and Restoration Department of the National Library of Portugal. Since 2005, I have established myself independently as a conservator-restorer serving public and private heritage. I provide courier services and specialize in preparing works for exhibitions. I am responsible for technical consultancy, diagnostics, interventions, and the packaging of artworks, document archives, as well as artistic and bibliographic collections.

I participated in international campaigns for the conservation and restoration of Coptic books, in Egypt, and medieval documents on parchment, in the Historical Archives of Madrid. I have delivered presentations at congresses, seminars, courses, and specialized events within the field, primarily in the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally, I have co-authored articles and chapters in referenced publications.

Since 2007, I have been the member number 194 of the Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers of Portugal (ARP).

WORKS OF REFERENCE

VÍDEOS

Selection and application of adhesives and consolidants: practical cases

Isabel Zarazúa. "Selection and Application of Adhesives and Consolidants. Practical Cases (15/17) Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain"

Conservation of Antique Books from Portugal Bank Collection

Faz Parte; @bancodeportugaloficial
Team: Isabel Zarazua @patriciaaferr @joao.naia.da.silva @msatalaya
🎬@happytogetherfilm

Restauration of the Manuelino Charter of Cascais

PDuring the Celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Manuelino Charter of Cascais

Cascais City Council

PUBLICATIONS

500 Years of the  Manuelino Charter of Cascais

Cascais City Council

Rolos Conservation of a Group of Chineses paintings and calligraphies from the Camilo Pessanha collection: an example of a “less oriental” approach.
Journal of ARP
Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers of Portugal

Mounting of a group of Chinese scrolls of the Camilo Pessanha Collection: an alternative solution
Journal of ARP
Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers of Portugal

Manuscripts of the Aveiro Museum

Catalog of the Aveiro Museum Manuscript Collection, covering documents from the 15th/16th and 19th/20th centuries - Project for the Recovery, Treatment and Organization of Documentary Collections.

Diário de Aveiro via PPorto

TECHNICAL COORDINATION

Collaboration with the company Faz Parte in the conservation and restoration project of around 300 books from the Banco de Portugal's old book collection.