Featured Help w/Removing Tape From Art Print

hi everyone. i picked up this European art print last week. it needs a cleaning, but the artist is somewhat desirable(Willem Witsen) and hopefully i can sell it for a few dollars. the one problem with it, and i've run into this before, is the linen tape that was used to afix it to the matting. does anyone know the best way to remove the tape, so it can be rolled into a tube? i don't want to damage the paper. i've heard of using water, but i'm not clean on how this would be done. any help would, of course, be greatly appreciated...thanks

 

I would sell it flat....like it is....and let the buyer worry about the sest...

 

yeah, and that's why i've kept all of the backing cardboard, in case that's the best option. but, it will cost a lot more to ship and require a lot more time and materials for packing. this is a large print. the printed area alone is 19"x16". the whole thing will be around 24"x20". i'm hoping someone out there has a secret method for getting this stuff off.

 

I use Bestine to remove tape, like graphic designers do. But are you sure a buyer wouldn't want the original period frame. (I ask because... I would.)

Debora

 

it's not an original period frame. it's a nice, probably 60s or 70s era slender walnut(probably) frame. i'm not throwing the frame out either, but there was glass too and i always hate shipping frames with glass. also, i think the biggest market for this is in Europe, and shipping overseas with that frame would cost a fortune.

 

It looks really acid burned to me . Getting that fixed would far exceed any worth. Prints ,etchings,etc are a hard sell currently.

 

what is it that you see that looks acid burned? the paper is darker on the backside, but it feels good, that is to say, not brittle.

 

Maybe you could trim the tape flush with the top edge of the print? That frees the print, but it's still the buyer's problem. It looks to me as though there may be acid burn as well. If so, it came from the mat and left a yellowish stain around the image. If the mat is hinged on just the one edge, it will be easy to see before you do anything.

Nice print.

 

These folks sold it as is ...
https://www.christies.com/lot/wille...et-gezicht-4231987/?intObjectID=4231987&lid=1

 

Woosh ! That just goes to show ya you think you know something and you may not ! maybe woven paper turns that color?

 

i made the decision to buy this thing based on that Christies sale. it cost $12.99 at the Goodwill. Witsen studied with Whistler and is considered a pretty significant artist in his own right. i know it's dark, but he was an impressionist and when you look closely at the print you see there's an impressionist quality to the scene that's subtle but quite nice. it shows some serious skill as an engraver. also, i see what you're talking about with acid burn. i'll just disclose that when i list it. there's a possibility that this is an artist proof. every other example of this print that i've looked at online is numbered using Arabic numerals. this one is numbered 11 using Roman numerals. based on my research, he was doing 20 proofs for each print at this time. i do agree etchings aren't a great seller these days, but what're ya' gonna do when you find something that's worth some good money for cheap? i always figure you gotta give it a try. Finally, i think the Bestine is probably the thing i will try. it sounds like it might work...thanks everyone.

 

This is acid burn:


In this case, the paper wasn't the best quality and shows age toning. The acidic mat overlaid the border, and the resultant stain is actually on the image. Often the the stain is outside the image, it depends on where the edge of the mat lies.

This shows acid burn on good paper, and outside the image:

 

thank you. there is acid burn on the backside and along the outer edge, but outside of the image itself, like the picture above. the paper is pretty thick, heavy paper though and it's not brittle. hopefully it can be cleaned for not too much money.

 

I always sell as is. I don't bother trying to 'fix' it the way I want it because you don't know what the buyer is going to want.

 

Agree.

Debora