~ DEC 3 2002

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Fixing an old Lao Painting
From: SC, US
- I have an old Laotian oil painting done by my friend. But it has become dull and somewhat dirty after all these years. Do you know any way of cleaning it?

Reply:

Generally speaking, it would not be advisable to do it yourself but rather have it done professionally. However if the oil painting is inexpensive then definitely you can try cleaning it yourself.

Place the painting on a flat surface and rub it lightly with a pad of cotton (or soft brush) that has been moistened with cleaning fluid. Work on small areas at a single time. Additionally if the surface appears dull you can restore the gloss by gently applying cream furniture polish.

Reply:

Gold leaf is 20-24k gold that has been pounded in between leather until it becomes paper thin. Once it's in this state it tends to adhere to many surfaces.

However when gold leaf is used in intricate designs they usually brush on a chemical on to the surface on to the specified area. The gold leaf is placed on the surface. Then it is brushed away leaving the gold leaf to remain on the chemically treated area. On very intricate designs this process doesn't always work well. In these cases, artisans have to place small pieces of gold leaf by hand which makes it a slow and detailed process.