Just a little clean required?

A description of work required on a recent commission.

May I offer the following more detailed description of the conservation required by your painting?

Most oil paintings on canvas consist of several layers, these being the canvas support, water base primer to assist adhesion of pigment in its carrier medium, actual paint layer sometimes with glazed areas, varnish coatings of variable thickness and dust and dirt condensate layer.

The first step is a two-stage or more surface clean to remove the condensate layer and then allow it to dry.

Apply the chosen solvents/ soap mixtures to remove the condensate/ varnish layers in the separate parts of the picture. For instance, the sky area, the foreground and separate areas such as the rebate edges which react differently due to frame contact.

Your painting has several vertical convex surface distortions throughout, also a significant amount of dust between the bottom stretcher bar and the canvas. Due to changes in temperature and humidity, the dust can affect the adhesion of paint to primer and eventually cause cracking and detachment.

The procedures are as follows:

• Remove the canvas from the stretcher support by removing the fine tacks holding it in place.
• Remove dust and apply light humidity to the distortion, allow to dry and repeat until the surface is level.
• Add a consolidant to the tacking edges to avoid paint loss during re-attachment.
• Apply conservation cotton tape to strengthen the edges before re-attaching the painting to the stretcher bars.
• Prior to this, the stretchers will have been cleaned and all tacks and wedges removed.
• Restretch carefully (checking diagonals for squareness. and refit wedges and retainers.
• Surface varnishing is at least two very lean layers to achieve the desired appearance.
• Allow coating to dry/ oxidise before fitting to the frame.
• Conservation support tape to line rebate.
• Attach a backboard to prevent dust deposition or handling damage.
• Prepare frame with rebate tape to minimise picture-to-wood contact.
• Use frame offsets to allow secure, pressure-minimised fitting to the frame.
• Fit hangers, cords and frame bumpers.
• Rehang and enjoy the painting.