Featured Flaking paint advice. Balinese art.

A beautiful Balinese lime container/gourd, painted in Kamasan style.
Unfortunately there is paint loss, and the paint is still flaking a bit.

The question is, how do I stop it from flaking?
I don't know what kind of paint it is, what it is based on. I suspect the container is 1940s, but it could be older.

I have Renaissance wax, which is microcrystalline wax, but I don't want to do anything without your advice.

I appreciate any help I can get, and also tagging @2manybooks , @kyratango , @mirana .

Thank you for looking.

 

That is a nice piece, and a difficult problem.

The paint loss may be due to inadequate adhesion in the first place, and expansion and contraction of the gourd surface in response to fluctuations in relative humidity over the years.

From what I remember specifically about conservation of painted objects, the most effective approach would be to select a compatible adhesive (most likely a solution of an acrylic resin known as Paraloid B72, or a methylcellulose), and apply it in a way that allows it to run under the paint layer - not applying it on top of the paint. The formulation of the adhesive needs to be carefully selected to minimize the possibility of creating dark or shiny stains where it is applied.

Anything applied on top without first securing the paint layer to the gourd runs the risk of creating a layer that will actually pull more paint off as it responds to changing conditions. And application of a wax might hinder future treatment with an adhesive. Any type of coating also risks changing the saturation and appearance of the paint and gourd surface.

Sorry - I guess I mostly have cautions rather than home remedies for this sort of problem.

 

Oooh I love the art on this! It's so vibrant and well done. Amazing composition.

I know when paint is flaking from a ground a conservator will need to use a glue (after doing tests to find the right kind) to stabilize the remaining paint. Unfortunately, I don't know enough to know which kinds would be correct....and there are a lot of conservator options.

I'm interested to learn from others who may know what's best!

Edit: Thanks 2manybooks!

 

Find a glass dome to put over it? I think trying to keep temperature fluctuations to a minimum is your best bet. Keep it in a place out of direct sunlight. Handle it as little as possible.

 

Glass can trap heat and moisture so I might say it needs to be removed occasionally or else have a gap to allow air flow. Agreed on keeping it out of sunlight as we all know that's bad for pigment and materials in general.

 

I thought as much.
It arrived just this week, badly packaged, and in from the cold, which can't have done it much good either. I kept the package in the hallway to acclimatize for 24 hrs, but that probably didn't make any difference.

Noted.

That's OK, it is a tricky problem. But I really appreciate your reply, it did enlighten me and answer the question about the wax. Thank you.

 

Thank you, I was thinking of a small closed aquarium type thing. My cat showed great interest as I was unwrapping it, so my first thought was to display it in such a way that she can't get at it.

Good point.

 

Thank you. The quality of the painting is so much better than on the later ones.
This style of painting is only done in the village of Kamasan. It is based on Wayang puppet theatre.

And not knowing what the paint is based on is probably another issue.
Thank you for looking, and for replying.

 

2many advice is wise! This is clearly out of my experience, even if I love watching Julian Baumgartner's restorations...
Superb gourd! Keep it out of reach of your playful Dewi

 

Oh, my! From Bali to the Netherlands, in the winter, is a difficult transition.

 

As a cat's general rule.......everything new must to be sniffed !!

 

Yes it is! Colder and less humid.
It has probably been in the Netherlands for a few decades, but even shipping it inside the Netherlands could have been an issue.
The way it was wrapped, not carefullly packed in a box, but literally wrapped in cardboard that was bent to adapt to the shape (!), can't have done it much good either.

I will check it over the next week, if there are no more flakes the damage is stable, and the flakes I found were probably due to shipping conditions. I will display it under/behind glass though.
My living room is north facing, and I have all-white shoji screens in front of the lower half of the windows, so little chance of direct sunlight anyway.

 

Thank you for looking anyway.

Thank you!
Of course Dewi is naturally attracted to Indonesian items, my fault for giving her an Indonesian name.

Yes it must, it is her house and she has to inspect everything. This gourd she can sniff, but not touch.
She is very careful with my 'stuff', tiptoes delicately around everything. But this is a big ball, so it is a big toy. So behind glass it goes.

 

Good news! No more flakes!
It has been stable since those first few days, so the flaking was probably due to the "expert" packaging and the temperature changes.

 

That's great news, AJ!