Möglichkeiten der Firnisextraktion aus bemalten Pappen

Überlegungen zum Schadensbild des Gemäldes „Zwei Freundinnen“ von Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, von 1895 aus der Galerie „Neue Meister“ Dresden

Abstract

Possiblities of extracting varnish from painted cardboard. Considering the damage of the painting “Two Friends” by Toulouse-Lautrec of
1895 from the Dresden “Neue Meister” Gallery

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec used cardboard almost exclusively for his paintings during the 1890s. The painting “Two Girl Friends” in the “Neue Meister” Gallery dates from these years. The painting has been varnished at a later date. This resulted in a complete alteration of its appearance. This leads to the question of the possibilities of extracting the varnish. The painting and its damage is presented, followed by an excursus on the surface properties of paintings under impressionistic influence form the second half of the 19th century. Connected to this is the question of whether the varnish in question might be original and whether it should be removed or not. Published methods of varnish extraction are presented and their suitability for the removal of large areas of varnish is tested. Finally, the results are summarized and open questions are raised.