New Insights into the Cleaning of Paintings

Extended Abstract—Tissue Gel
Composite Cleaning
Gwendoline Fife, Jos Van Och, Kate Seymour,
and Rene Hoppenbrouwers
INTRODUCTION
In the recent past, the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) developed a
method for removing varnish from the surface of paintings by employing tissues saturated
with simple solvent gels (comprising organic solvent and cellulose ether gelling
agents only). Initially conceived for treating paintings in the Oranjezaal, Huis ten Bosch,
the Netherlands (Van Och et al., 1999), the use of solvents gelled and applied in this
manner proved to have several advantages over their use as free solvents. The technique
outlined here, with adaptations to the individual requirements of the painting, has since
been employed in a variety of projects at SRAL. A fuller description of this technique can
be found elsewhere (Fife et al., 2011).
TECHNIQUE DESCRIPTION
Gwendoline Fife, Jos Van Och, Kate Seymour,
and Rene Hoppenbrouwers, Stichting Restauratie
Atelier Limburg, Avenue Céramique 224, 6221
kx Maastricht, PO1679, Maastricht 6201BR, the
Netherlands. Correspondence: Gwendoline Fife,
retrae@sral.nl; gwenfife26@hotmail.com. Manuscript
received 19 November 2010; accepted 24
August 2012.
A fundamental aspect of the technique is the application of a special tissue (synthetic
nonwoven untreated cleaning cloth; see the Appendix) saturated with a cellulose ethergelled
solvent. After a solvent (or solvent mixture) is selected, it is thickened to a gel
state by gradually adding a cellulose ether under rapid mixing conditions, initially using
a mechanical or handheld whisk, followed by magnetic stirring in proportions varying
from 2% to 4% (by weight of cellulose ether to volume of solvent) depending on the
viscosity of the gel required in the particular situation. When a uniform gel is achieved, it
is then brush applied to each individual tissue. This composite is applied to the varnished
painting surface and left for a period of time (pre- ascertained by testing but generally no
longer than 60 seconds) until the non- original coatings have been dissolved (Figure 1). A
dry absorbent tissue is then placed on top, and the mixture of (still wet) gel and dissolved
varnish residues is then gently pressed into this upper tissue. Both tissues are then simultaneously
peeled back from the painting, revealing the cleaned painting surface. This
system can also be effective in concurrently removing varnish, non- original overpaints,
and retouches.
The known practical advantages over free solvent cleaning are the following:
• The system is more efficient since every moment that the solvent (in gelled form) is
in contact with the surface it is being “used” (as opposed to swab with free solvent
cleaning).