Conservation and restoration of medieval Russian icons deals with specific objects that cannot be recognized merely as works of art or as part of the cultural museum heritage. They contain polysemantic values in the same material substance. In general, the approaches taken and the methods of treating the icons are determined by mechanisms of perception, forming the basis of the conservator's decisions. The image-conceptual model of every work of art results from psychological directives, in which both aesthetic and intellectual notions of a subject are concentrated. This model can be understood by considering it as an interpretation of the material substance, which is the inevitable outcome of every conservation treatment. Therefore, conservation brings with it the risk of aesthetic interpretation of an icon, just as for every other work of art.