or Pictures, are often done upon objects from which, when they are valuable, it would be desirable to transfer them. Thus, a connoisseur in painting might naturally wish to transfer an old and valuable picture from the ceiling or walls of his room to stretched canvas; and such a man would consider himself as deeply indebted to the artist who should perform so arduous a task. This task has actually been performed by Mr Robert Salmon of Woburn, Bedfordshire, who was honoured by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c., with the greater silver pallet, for communicating the method by which he accomplished it.

The first thing (says Mr Salmon) to be attended to with respect to paintings, either on plastered walls or ceilings, or on boards, is, that the place in which they are be secure from wet or damp. If the paintings are on old walls in large buildings, or other places where this cannot be attained by art, then the summer season should be taken for the purpose, as the picture will rarely escape damage, if wet or damp gets at it while under the process. At the same time, care should be taken that the room, or other place, be not overheated; as that would produce equally bad effects.

These precautions being taken, the next thing is to examine the surface of the painting. If there are any holes in the same, they must be carefully filled up with a paste or putty, made of glue and whiting; this, if the holes are large, should be twice or thrice done, so as entirely to fill them up, and leave the surface even and smooth; but if there are any bruised places, with paint still remaining on the surface of the bruised parts, then this stopping must not be applied, but the securing-canvas, hereafter described, must be pressed down into these places. In the places that are flopped, there will of course appear blemishes when the picture is transferred; but the process is rendered much more certain and sure by being so done. Attention must next be paid to lay down any blisters, or places where the paint is leaving the ground; this is done by introducing, between the paint and the ground, some very strong paste of flour and water; and the surface of the blistered paint being damped with a wet sponge or brush, it may be pressed with the hand home to the ground, to which it will then adhere.

All the unsound places being thus secured, care must be taken to clear the surface of any grease or dirt, as also of any particles of the paste that may happen to be left on it. The next thing is, to determine the size of the painting meant to be taken off: If it is on a plain surface, a board of the size of the picture must be procured, not less than an inch in thickness, and framed together with well-seasoned wood; in small panels, smooth and flush on one side. This done, a piece of fine open canvas must be provided, such as the finest flax used for hanging paper on; which canvas is to be somewhat larger than the picture, and to sewed together, and the seam so pressed, that it be perfectly smooth and even. This is what Mr Salmon calls the securing-canvas; which, being so prepared, is to be stuck on the surface of the picture with a paste made of strong beer, boiled till it is half reduced, and then mixed with a sufficient quantity of flour to give it a very strong consistence. To large pictures on walls or ceilings, the canvas must for some time be pressed, and rubbed with the hand as smooth as possible, working it from the middle to the outside, so as to make it tolerably tight; observing, as it dries, to press it, with the hand or a cloth, into any hollow or bruised places, fo things that it may adhere to every part of the painting; this done, it is left to dry; which it will generally do in a day or two. When dry, a second canvas, of a stronger and closer fit, and of the same size as the other, is in like manner to be attached on the top of the first. This last will want very little attention, as it will readily adhere to the first; and, being dry, attention must be paid to take off any small knots or unevennesses that may be upon the surface of it; which done, the whole should be again covered with a thin paste of size and whiting; which is to be pumiced over when dry, so as to make the whole perfectly smooth and even.

"The painting being thus secured, the board, already prepared to the size of the picture, is to be put with the smooth side against the surface thereof, so as exactly to cover as much as is intended to be transferred. The edges of the canvas, which, as before directed, is to be larger than the painting, are then to be pulled tight over, and closely nailed to the edge of the board. If the painting is large, and either on a ceiling or wall, the board must, by proper supports, be firmly fixed against it, so that it can readily be lowered down when the plaster and painting are detached.

"The canvas and board being fixed, the painting is to be freed from the wall or ceiling, together with a certain portion of the plastering; this, with proper care and attention, may be readily done. If on a ceiling, the first thing is to make some holes through the plastering, round the outside of the board and painting; and, with a small saw, to saw the plastering from one hole to another, till the whole is disunited from the other parts of the ceiling; this done, the workman must get at the upper side of the ceiling, where he must free the plastering from the laths, by breaking off the keys thereof, and with a chisel cut out the laths; whereby the plastering, together with the picture, will be left resting on the board and supports.

"If the painting is on a brick or stone wall, the wall must be cut away at top, and down the sides of the painting; and then, by means of chisels or saws in wooden handles, of different lengths, the wall must be cut away quite behind the painting; leaving the frame, together with the plastering, resting on the board. This operation may sometimes be done with a saw; or, if the wall be not thick, nor the other side of much consequence, the bricks or stones may be taken out from that side, leaving the plastering and painting as before. This last method (says the author) I have not practised; the other, of cutting away some part of the wall, I have, and see no difficulty, or very great labour, in the operation; but that, of course, must be various, according to the texture of the wall and mortar.

"If the paintings are on curved surfaces, such as the coves of ceilings, then the only difference of operation is, that some ribs of wood must be cut out, and boarded smooth to the curve of the surface of the painting, and then fixed up thereto, in place of the before described bearing-board; the painting is then to be freed, and left with the plastering, resting on the bearers.

"For paintings on wainscot or boards, the same securing and process is to be exactly followed; only that, as the wainscot or board can always be cut to the size wanted, and laid horizontal, the securing-canvas is to be stretched thereon, and turned over the edges of the same, till it is dry; after which, the edges are again to be turned up, and nailed to the board, in the same manner as with respect to paintings from walls.

"Having, as before described, in any of the aforementioned cases, freed the paintings from their original places, you have got them secured to two thicknesses of canvas, with their surfaces on the board prepared for that purpose; this being the case, they can readily be removed to any room or shop, to be finished as follows: Having carried the painting into the shop or room, which should be moderately warm and dry, but by no means overheated, lay the board on a bench or trestle, so that the back of the picture be uppermost; the plastering or wood, as may happen, is then to be cleared away, leaving nothing but the body of paint, which will be firmly attached to the securing-canvas. To perform this, a large rasp, a narrow plane, and chisels, will be requisite. This operation, though difficult to be described, would soon be learned by any one who should make the attempt; nor is it very tedious; and being performed, the picture is ready to be attached to its new canvas, as follows.

"The painting being cleared, and lying on the board, the back thereof is to be painted three or four times over successively, with any good strong-bodied paint; leaving one coat to dry before another comes on; a day or two between each will generally be found sufficient. Each of these coats, and particularly the first, should be laid on with great care, taking but a small quantity in the brush at a time, and laying it very thin. This precaution is necessary, to prevent any of the oil or paint from passing through any small cracks or holes in the surface of the picture; as such oil or paint would run into the paint, and so attach the securing-canvas to the picture, as to prevent its being afterwards got off. If any such holes or cracks are observed, they should be stopped up with the glue and whiting paste, and the painting then repeated, till a complete coat is formed on the back of the picture. It is then ready for attaching to its canvas, which is done by spreading all over the picture a paste made of copal varnish, mixed with stiff white lead, and a small quantity of any other old fat paint; all which being spread equally over with a pallet knife, such a canvas as the first securing-canvas is laid thereon, and strained and nailed round the edges of the board; in which state it is left till it becomes tolerably dry; then a second canvas, of a stronger sort, must be in like manner attached on the first, and let till it is perfectly dry and hard. This generally takes about two months; and the longer the painting is left, the more securely it will be attached to its canvas, and less liable to crack or fly therefrom. When sufficiently dry, all the four canvases are to be unnailed from the board, and the edges turned up the reverse way, and nailed to a proper stretching-frame. This is done by unnailing from the board a part on each side at a time, and immediately nailing it to the stretching-frame, so as never to leave the canvas to crack or partially stretch, which would damage the picture. In this manner, by degrees, the cloths are entirely detached from the board, and firmly fixed on the stretching-frame. The superfluous canvas, left larger than the frame, may then be cut off, and the wedges put in the frame, and moderately tightened up. There remains then only to clear the surface of the painting from the securing-canvas; which is done by repeatedly washing the surface with with a sponge and moderately warm water. In doing this, no violence or force must be used; and, by frequent and gentle washings, the paste will all be worked out with the sponge. The edges of the outer canvas are then to be cut round, and stripped off: the other, next the surface of the picture, is to be served in like manner; which done, nothing remains but to take the paste clean off, and repair any defects: the picture will then be as strong as if painted on the canvas.

"For taking pictures off walls, without taking the walls down, or cutting away more thereof than the plastering, the following process is proposed:

"The surface of the picture is to be first secured, in the manner before described; but instead of the plain board, a bearer should be prepared with a convex surface, composed of ribs, boarded over, so as to form part of a cylinder, of not less than five feet radius, and as long as the height of the picture. This bearer being prepared, in order to apply it, a floor or platform should be erected, and placed horizontally, with its surface level, and its edge immediately in contact with the bottom of the picture meant to be transferred. The use of this platform is for the above described bearer to rest and move upon; which bearer should be set on its end, with one edge in contact with the wall, at one side of the picture; consequently the other edge will be at some distance from the wall, according to the size of the picture and convexity of the bearer. Being thus placed, the superfluous edge of the securing-canvas should be turned over, and nailed to that edge of the bearer that is next the wall: This done, the operation of cutting away the plastering should be begun; which may be done with the corner and end of a short saw; sawing between the brick-work and plastering, and leaving the thickness, or part of the thickness, of the plastering on the painting fastened to the bearer. When this edge of the picture is freed, the whole height, for nine or ten inches under the edge of the bearer that is farthest from the wall, must then be gently forced nearer; consequently the other edge, together with the painting and plaster that is freed, will leave the wall, and give an opportunity of introducing the saw behind, and cutting away the same to a certain distance farther under; and, by repeating this, the whole of the picture will at length be freed, and left on the bearer. Each time the bearer is removed, and, as it were, rolled on the vertical surface of the wall, care must be taken to turn and nail the securing-canvas on the top and bottom edges of the bearer, so as to secure the freed plastering and picture from moving about; and, lastly, before the bearer and plastering be removed, to nail the other edges of the picture in the same way, which will secure the whole to the bearer. This done, the picture and bearer are at liberty to be moved to a proper place, in order to be freed from the remaining plaster. The edges may then be unnailed; the painting and canvas flipped from this bearer on to a plain board; and the new canvas may be then put on; which is to remain till dry, as in other cases.

"It may appear, that the bending of the canvas and plastering to the convex bearer will crack the plaster, and damage the painting; but, from experience (says Mr Salmon) I have observed, that, to a curve of such or even less radius, plastering will bend, without any visible crack, even on the exterior part thereof; and that part next the bearer, not having occasion, in bending, to extend its parts, will consequently be much less liable to be disturbed by such bending."

In clearing the wood from the paintings, our author never made use of aquafortis, or any other liquid; the use of which he conceives would be very tedious, and attended with danger, lest it should get through the paint, and wet or damp the paste by which the securing canvas is fixed. In working off the wood, he generally made use of such planes as by the joiners are called the levelled rabble-plane, and small rounds. By the corners of the former, and proper handling of the latter, the wood is cleared off without force or violence: even the smallest particles may, in general, be got off; although in some paintings, and in particular parts of others, he has met with places on which he thought it best to leave some particles, or fine splinters, of wood, but nothing more. Rasps, and sometimes a fine chisel, are useful, to clear off such parts as may be in hollow places, or where particles of wood are left, as above. The time required will be various, according to the manner in which the painting was originally done; some being painted on boards previously prepared with a water colour; others immediately painted with oil on the wood. This last fort is by much the most difficult; the other is more easy, as the previous preparation prevents the wood from imbibing the oil, and consequently admits it to be more easily separated.