Rosalind Whitehouse
Profile of Rosalind Whitehouse
Consolidation of flaking paint
Removal of grime, varnish, overpaint
East Anglia, United Kingdom
Studio of Rosalind Whitehouse,
Accredited Paintings Conservator - Restorer
Conservation and restoration of European oil paintings from 1500 to the present day, offering in addition a specialist knowledge and experience of the work of many twentieth century painters.
Keeping the back visible - striplining and edge reinforcement.
The edges of the canvas are the parts which are physically pinned to the wooden stretcher. They suffer from abrasion and damp, and from the stresses of being constantly pulled over the edges of the wood by the response of the canvas to its environment. When they tear, the canvas loses tension, and cracking in - and losses from - the paint layer occur.
When this happens, the turning edges may be reinforced. This is not appropriate in all cases, but can be a useful means of postponing the major intervention of lining.
A range of fabrics is used, usually secured with Beva 371 Conservation Adhesive.
When a picture has brittle or missing turning edges, but there is an interesting or important feature on the back such as an inscription or another painting, striplining can be the solution. By using the extra width of added canvas strips, and by tailoring a frame for the purpose, almost all of both the back and the front of a painting can be viewed.