Über Ölfarbe und Conservirung der Gemälde-Gallerien durch das Regenerations-Verfahren

Abstract

First edition. The title translates: On oil painting and conservation for picture galleries by means of the regeneration process. “In the 1860s Pettenkofer was granted two patents for his invention of regenerating pictures by exposure to alcohol-saturated air and the application of copaiva balsam, for re-establishing lost ‘molecular cohesion’ of varnish and paint. The Bavarian State Collections acquired the right to apply this treatment to their pictures. A violent controversy ensued...Unfortunately the effect proved to be only temporary, and in addition the copaiva balsam applied yellows considerably with time.” - Ruhemann/Plesters, p. 392. Nevertheless, this was a popular and widely used method; R/P make no less than ten references to it in their index. (Charles Wood, Cat. 160:195)