Reverse painting on glass

Gina D. Lay <glay<-a t->lee< . >1stnet< . >com> writes

>Am interested in input for conservation of reverse paintings on
>glass. Family heirloom--large painting of Heidelberg castle done
>circa 1800. This is a reverse painting directly on glass that has
>begun to flake.

The flaking of paintings on glass from my experience will not be
greatly affected by environmental factors.  Placing the painting
face down on a flat surface so it won't sag and not jarring it will
at least assure that flakes that become detached will stay where
they belong.  Treatment of these things is quite tedious, although
if they are caught early, the problem is much easier to handle.  The
future of the object, including whether flakes can be replaced where
they belong, will depend on various factors like the thickness of
the paint.  I certainly recommend treatment by an experienced
conservator as soon as possible.  To keep costs down, the
reattachment can be done without any compensation for loss, and any
inpainting can be put off until a later date.

Barbara Appelbaum

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:66
                Distributed: Wednesday, January 22, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-66-003
                                  ***