Cleaning an original reverse painted tablet

[rison123]

I have a nice Gingerbread that I am biding on and I am wondering if anyone has had success in cleaning a reverse panted tablet like this one. I have never had success in cleaning one without damaging it. Is there a way to do this without damage? I’m not looking to aggressively clean it. Just a simple cleaning
Your expertise and experience would be greatly appreciated.

Tom H.

 

[bruce linde]

don't... just clean the front glass.

if the inside is somehow spooged up, very very careful clean use q-tips and magnification.... but it looks fine, i.e., not broken so don't fix it

 

[rison123]

While I agree this tablet seems to be in decent shape, my inquiry remains. Is there a way to clean the gold reversed tablet, if needed?

 

[bruce linde]

While I agree this tablet seems to be in decent shape, my inquiry remains. Is there a way to clean the gold reversed tablet, if needed?

the gold foil/leaf is adhered directly to the glass. you can't do anything with it except compromise it. the only thing you can do is clean the bare glass around the gold foil/leaf... which is why i suggested q-tips and magnification...

they call it reverse painting because it's painted on the reverse side of the glass... no way to get between the 'paint' and the glass.

if the design needed fixing, you might check out temple's 'extreme restoration'... his website was 'retired' in 6/22, but you can get the book for $50 here or from amazon:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/extreme-restoration-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-restoration-and-preservation-of-antique-clocks-t-e-temple/10614113

it's an incredibnle book, btw.... covers every aspect of restoring cases, glass, etc.

 

[rison123]

the gold foil/leaf is adhered directly to the glass. you can't do anything with it except compromise it. the only thing you can do is clean the bare glass around the gold foil/leaf... which is why i suggested q-tips and magnification...

they call it reverse painting because it's painted on the reverse side of the glass... no way to get between the 'paint' and the glass.

if the design needed fixing, you might check out temple's 'extreme restoration'... his website was 'retired' in 6/22, but you can get the book for $50 here or from amazon:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/extreme-restoration-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-restoration-and-preservation-of-antique-clocks-t-e-temple/10614113

it's an incredibnle book, btw.... covers every aspect of restoring cases, glass, etc.

Thank you Bruce, I appreciate the insight. That explains my lack of success in ever Cleaning a tablet with the gold leaf.