Soviet Museum collections of antique painted vases include specimens restored during the late 19th century or early 20th century. Restoration was performed according to the substitution technique, which involved fragment selection and pasting, substitution for missing fragments, repainting to conceal all traces of restoration and varnishing. This technique has left a darkened varnish coat to corrupt the original color. The author has proposed a restoration technique using visual inspection and technical examination with ultraviolet rays and infrared rays. A removal of former restoration retouch and varnish is performed with dimethyl formamide. Fragments are usually left in place to prevent further damage.