Visiting timetableClosed (Not opened yet)
|Tuesday, December 30, 2025Jardin des Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, 75001 Paris, France
Back to conservation
painting
Conserving Monet’s Water Lilies: Varnish, Craquelure, and Care
A conservator’s overview: materials, varnish history, craquelure mapping, and micro‑climate management for Monet’s panels.
12/25/2025
19 min read
Conservation at the Orangerie balances legibility with material dignity. Monet’s panels present varied surface histories, from thin glazes to high‑impasto strokes.
🧪 Materials & Markers
- Supports: Canvas on stretcher; some relinings historical.
- Binding media: Predominantly oil; localized glazing layers.
- Varnish: Selective, thin—avoid plasticized shine.
🧩 Common Issues
- Craquelure: Micro‑cracks stabilized; avoid invasive fills.
- Edge stress: Panel joins need gentle expansion allowances.
- Dust films: Low‑pressure dry methods; solvent use minimized.
🌡️ Preventive Environment
| Parameter | Target | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 20–22 °C | Viscosity stability |
| RH | 45–55% | Dimensional control |
| Light | < 150 lx | Pigment fade mitigation |
“Do less to preserve more.” — preventive credo
[^tech]: Technical campaigns include multi‑spectral imaging and micro‑fade testing in collaboration with labs.
🌿 Treatment Decision Tree (Outline)
- Identify issue → classify (structural / surface / optical).
- Non‑invasive first → dry methods, mechanical dusting.
- Minimal wet cleaning → solvent gels tested at micro‑scale.
- Document thoroughly → imaging + condition reporting.
📈 Monitoring Protocol
| Cycle | Action | Tool | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Visual sweep | Raking light | Detect raised impasto risk |
| Monthly | RH/Temp log | Data logger | Trend stability |
| Quarterly | Imaging | IR/UV | Layer + retouch mapping |
date,room,temp_c,rh_percent,notes
2025-11-01,oval A,21.2,49,"stable"
2025-12-01,oval B,21.0,50,"stable"
About the Author
Conservation Team
As a longtime museum‑goer and Paris wanderer, I made this guide to help you meet the Orangerie quietly — to notice the light, the stillness, and the human scale that make its paintings feel close.
Tags
Conservation
Varnish
Canvas
Preventive Care
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment
Loading comments...