GUIDE
Caring for oil paintings
Dust dry with a soft brush, never water and never a cloth.
An oil painting needs almost nothing. The damage happens when somebody means well and reaches for a damp rag. On gilded surfaces that damage cannot be undone.
The key points from this guide at a glance.
Dusting
A soft brush, top to bottom, without pressure.
A dusting brush or a clean paintbrush. Not a microfibre cloth, because it catches on impasto edges.
Why no water
Water dissolves varnish and soaks into cracks.
Oil paint is not waterproof. Moisture collects in fine cracks and becomes a problem there.
Gilded surfaces
Brush only, never rub.
Gold leaf is a few atoms thick. A cloth drags at it, even through a layer of oil.
Light
Avoid direct sun, indirect daylight is no problem.
UV bleaches pigments over years. A south-facing wall behind glass is the worst place in the house.
Air and heating
Not directly above a radiator.
Dry rising warm air makes canvas move. About 40 to 60 per cent relative humidity is uncritical.
In short
Brush, no water, no direct sun, no radiator underneath.
If something is damaged, write to me before you try anything yourself.
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