This paper looks at the development of the conservation profession in the post WWII period through key international documents and related heritage institutions. It considers how Continuing Professional Development (CPD) represents the culmination of a re-definition of the field which has been described as a ‘paradigm shift’ from an art/craft form of practice to a scientific and research-based discipline. The paper reflects upon how this shift is informed by restoration theories deriving from fine arts and reveals, with examples, how this is manifested in restoration practice. The paper argues that CPD – as shaped by this institutionalised and standardised ideology – has developed a progressive market orientation largely based around technological developments, which has contributed to the polarisation of the field into traditionalist and progressive perspectives which centre on the role of technology in restoration. The paper considers this in relation to recent conceptual developments on the international heritage scene.