The latest in this annual record of research carried out at the National Gallery, London, draws on the combined expertise of scientists, conservators and curators. The gallery’s three paintings by Jan van Eyck (active 1422; died 1441) have undergone technical imaging, deepening knowledge of his materials and techniques. The second contribution addresses the history of picture restoration and conservation at the National Gallery. The contribution on Het Steen by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) highlights the gains from the recent cleaning and considers new perspectives on its conservation history. The final article explores the changes in the reception of Dead Christ and the Virgin by Giotto (about 1267 or 1276; died 1337) as a result of the ways in which it has been restored in the past, and its highly unusual iconography.