AICCM Symposium 2006, Conservation of Paper, Books and Photographic Materials. Post-prints and Posters. 19-21 April 2006, Wellington, New Zealand. p117-136
Abstract
For many years the technique of ‘reforming’ has been employed in the field of painting conservation as an effective method of regenerating aged and degraded varnish layers. The theory of adapting this process to the treatment of varnished works of art on paper, however, has been far less explored. This paper details the treatment of a late-19th-century varnished watercolour painting. The painting, executed on paper, lined onto canvas and stretched around a wooden stretcher, was painted to resemble a significant painting by the well-known pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones. The paper discusses the technical, instrumental and analytical techniques employed to determine the complex layer structure of the painting, in addition to a detailed account of the treatment process. This paper may be of interest to conservators working within a broad range of institutions, where historical and contemporary varnished works on paper may be encountered.