My 2-c:
I agree with what David said. The other problem with certain kinds of oils
is that they may not fully oxidize or dry, remaining oily, softening
underlying varnish or paint layers and entrapping dust and dirt, creating a
real mess. Oils are one of the worst products that can be used for
preservation of painted, finished and decorative surfaces. I never use
them. Period.
The other issue is that any coating or treatment will seal in existing dirt
if it is not properly cleaned first. Then, the dirt is much more difficult
and more expensive to remove in the future. I never varnish or otherwise
coat a dirty surface.
The treatments you mention, if one ignores their potentially devastating
effect on the paintings, of course do nothing for the losses requiring
inpainting. Hopefully, anyone that would consider using the aforementioned
products on a painting has enough sense not to attempt inpainting, but I
doubt it.
I know doing nothing is difficult for many people, but doing the wrong thing
is much, much worse than doing nothing. I would suggest that the money she
would spend for the inappropriate treatment would be better applied for a
partial treatment by a real conservator. Conservators do not have to do a
complete treatment. One may be able to stabilize the areas of loss and do a
quick cleaning of dirt, making the paintings look better, without creating
any additional damage now or in the future.
She may be surprised to find that a qualified conservator lives closer than
she thinks, she just doesn't know it. The American Institute for
Conservation (AIC) in Washington, DC maintains a referral list that anyone
can access. Otherwise, doing nothing is the best thing she can do.
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4 Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT 06016
www.conservator.com
860-386-6058
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Low-Tech Environmental Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
Furniture
Painted Wood
Horse-Drawn Vehicles
Architectural Interiors
Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sarah Wood-Clark" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 11:45 AM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Painting Conservation
> Hello All,
>
> I have what may be a dumb question, but here goes...a friend has a couple
> of nice aging oil paintings (early-mid this century) that need some
> attention (cleaning and inpainting), she lives in a rural area and does
> not have access geographically or budget-wise to painting conservators
> and has turned them over to someone who has promised to go over them with
> Salamander Oil and varnish them. I don't know what varnish, and I seem to
> remember earlier in my career equating salamander oil with snake oil or
> worse. What does this stuff actually do? Will it harm the painting?
>
> Oh, thank you in advance.
>
> Sarah
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
> information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail
> message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should
> read "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read
> "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
>
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|