Varnishing as part of the conservation treatment of easel paintings

Abstract

Varnishing is often the final phase of a conservation treatment. It has important optical and aesthetic consequences, and it influences the whole structure and long-term condition of the painting. As long as the solvents in the varnish will not solubilise or remove retouches, a varnish can be brushed on to a painting when it is placed vertically on an easel or lying on a table. The potential for cross-linking has sometimes restricted its use in conservation to more temporary varnishing applications, although the butyl methacrylate polymers have formed the basis of some commercial varnish products. For brushing, the varnish must be of lower viscosity, generally using solvents or solvent mixtures with higher boiling points. The spraying of varnish on to a painting in a horizontal position, placed on a table in front of a window to take advantage of a strong raking light, was described by Winfried Heiber and Knut Nicolaus.

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