The wax-resin lining of canvas paintings, often called “the Dutch Method”, originated in the Netherlands in the 19th century. For more than a hundred years, the method was extensively employed by conservators worldwide to provide structural treatment for weakened canvas paintings. In the 1970s, the method came under criticism as it was no longer considered compatible with modern, less invasive approaches to conservation, leading to a substantial decline in its use. Today, a significant number of wax-resin lined paintings remain in collections worldwide, raising questions about the long-term effects of this treatment on their preservation.
Wax-Resin Lining Paintings: The Dutch Method Unfolded is a comprehensive resource on wax-resin lining. It draws together contributions from researchers with wide-ranging backgrounds and expertise who are involved in the care of diverse painting collections. It aims to share critical knowledge with conservation and art-history professionals, enhancing understanding of the condition of paintings that have undergone this treatment and aiding the development of tailored conservation strategies. The publication is available online free of charge, making its content readily accessible and stimulating further research in this area.
Introduction
History of Wax-Resin Lining in The Netherlands
Jolijn Schilder, Abbie Vandivere, Suzan de Groot, and Inez van der Werf "The Rear of De Stier: Historical Lining Canvases of The Bull (1647) by Paulus Potter"
Marya Albrecht "From Retablo to Canvas Painting: Kasteel de Haar’s Virgin and Child Enthroned Surrounded by Angels"
Esther van Duijn "Innovation and Tradition: 125 years of Wax-Resin Lining at the Rijksmuseum"
Louise Wijnberg and Elisabeth H.M. Bracht "The Consequences of Conservation Interventions on the Oeuvre of Kazimir Malevich"
International Dissemination
Klaas Jan van den Berg, Théo-Fany Lange, Saskia Smulders, Eliza Bazakas, Wim Genuit, and Emilie Froment "On the Dutch Method of Lining and its Spread Worldwide. Analysis of Historical Wax-Resin Adhesives with THM-Py-GCMS and ASAP-HRMS"
Simona Skorja "A History of Wax-Resin Lining in Slovenia"
Thierry Ford and Linn Solheim "Friend or Foe? The Use of Wax and Wax-Resin Lining in Norway"
Joana Moura Devesa and Diana Nogueira Rodrigues Conde "Lining Methods at the José de Figueiredo Laboratory in Twentieth-Century Portugal: From Glue-Paste to Wax-Resin"
Lauren Bradley, Ellen Nigro, and Josh Summer "Sheldon Keck, Deborah Hall and the Development of Wax-Resin Lining at the Brooklyn Museum from 1934 to 1943"
Michael Duffy, Artur Neves, Catherine H. Stephens, and Anny Aviram "Wax-Resin Practices at MoMA and Beyond"
Kelsey Wingel."Wax-Resin Linings onto Aluminum Sheets at the Yale University Art Gallery: History, Process, and Texture Changes"
Nathael Cano Baca, Ixchel García Valencia, and José Luis Ortiz Castro "Wax-Resin Lining at the National Center for Conservation of Fine Arts (CNCOA-INBAL), Mexico (1955-1990): Material Context, Criteria, and Challenges for the Future"
Magdalena Castañeda Hernández, Mariana Flores Hernández, and Liliana Giorguli Chávez "A Historical Evaluation of Wax-Resin Lining as a Restoration Treatment at the Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía 'Manuel del Castillo Negrete' (ENCRyM) in Mexico City. A Critical and Situational Approach to the Application of a 'Discarded' Restoration Method"
Anupama Gaur "Hot, Humid, and Wax-Resin Lined: Investigating the History of the Dutch Method in the Indian Subcontinent"
Current Approaches to Retreatment
Desirae Dijkema, Bradford Epley, Anne Schmid, Sara Kornhauser, James Craven, and Corina Rogge "Wax-Resin Extraction Mockup Trials in Advance of the Extraction Treatment of Mark Rothko’s The Green Stripe (1955)"
Bradford A. Epley, Desirae Dijekma, Corina Rogge, Anne Schmid, Sara Kornhauser, and James Craven "Wax-Resin Extraction Treatment of The Green Stripe (1955) by Mark Rothko"
Basha Stabik and Marjolein Hupkes "Treatment of Wax-Resin Lined Canvas Paintings by Wax-Resin Extraction from the Reverse of the Original Canvas"
Arielle Veerman and Liz Hébert "Unfolding a Wax-Resin Lining. The Conservation of Three Ceiling Canvases by Gerard de Lairesse (1640 - 1711)"
Wendy Baker and Jason Anema "Reversing the Irreversible? Treatment of Damages to William Bradford’s Wax-Resin Lined Painting, Polaris in Thank God Harbour"
Josephine Opitz, Theresa Hilger, and Julia Brandt. "Abbots in Glue-Paste and Wax-Resin Lining: Tracing the Paintings’ Pasts to Develop Concepts for their Future"
Jelena Zagora "Our Lady of the Rosary with Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine of Siena by Tripo Kokolja on the Island of Hvar in Croatia: Conserving an Eighteenth-Century Altarpiece with a Wax-Resin Lining and Reconstruction from 1968"
Alice Mohen, Marie-Noëlle Laurent, Eléonore Kissel, Aurélien Gaborit, Julie Gordon, and Chien (Chloe) Chang "The Effects of Wax-Resin Lining on a Series of Fragmented Seventeenth-Century Canvas Paintings from Abba Antonios Church in Gondar, Ethiopia, and Consequences for their Conservation"
Meredith Watson, Josh Summer, and Sylvain Cordier "Something is ‘Off’; Perceptions of a ‘Very’ Wax-Resin Lined Painting"
Saskia van Oudheusden. "Wax-Resin Lining in the Van Gogh Museum Collection: History and Impact"
Future Directions
Mireille te Marvelde and Klaas Jan van den Berg "Wax-Resin Lining Studied in the MOLART Project (1995-1999). Research Questions, Preliminary Results, and Legacy"
Mikkel Scharff "Wax-Resin Lining – A Historical Account. Visualization of a Generic 1960s Wax-Resin Lining Procedure, Recreated ca 1990"
Emilie Froment."Cooler and Darker; State of Knowledge on Color Changes in Paintings after Wax-Resin Lining"
Alba Alvarez Martin, Jorien R. Duivenvoorden, Fabiana Di Gianvincenzo, Théo-Fany Lange, Fréderique Broers, Joen J. Hermans, Caroline Bouvier, Lisette Vos, Esther van Duijn, and Katrien Keune "A Holistic Perspective on the Properties and Ageing of the Wax-Resin Lining (1975/76) of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch (1642)"
Cecil Krarup Andersen and Martin Nordvig Mortensen. "The Structural Effects of Relative Humidity on Wax-Resin Lined Paintings"
Saki Kunikata, Masahiko Tsukada, and Yuko Tsuchiya "Incoherency in Aged Wax-Resin Adhesives: Phase Separation and its Impact on Paintings Conservation"
Matteo Rossi Doria "Glue-Paste Reconsidered: Water-Based Re-Lining for Wax-Resin Lined Paintings: A Conversation with Matteo Rossi Doria"
Sofia Carletti, Ilaria Pecorelli, and Grazia De Cesare "An Eco-Friendly Enzymatic Approach for the Removal of Wax-Resin Lining Adhesive. A Sustainable Approach to Preserving Cultural Heritage"
Beatrice Menegaldo, Clare Richardson, Aviva Burnstock, and Helen Cunningham-Johns "Evaluation of Greener Alternatives for Wax-Resin Adhesive Removal from Canvas Paintings in De-Lining"
Index
