How do I clean the glass on these?

Do not spray glass cleaner directly onto the frame. Liquid can run down the glass and seep into the mount, ruining the paper and the pastel dust beneath. Spray a small amount of cleaner onto a soft cloth first. Gently wipe the glass while keeping the frame flat on a table to prevent vibrations from knocking loose pigment off the paper.

I recently inherited a portrait that looks like pastel but the paper has lots of ripples in it, is that normal for this kind of thing or has it been damaged somehow?

Rippled paper is common in antique pastels. Artists often used thin paper that reacts to changes in humidity, expanding and contracting over the centuries. When trapped tightly in a frame, the paper has nowhere to go but forward, creating waves. It does not always mean the piece is ruined. As long as the surface pigment remains stable and there are no dark water stains, the rippling is just part of the object's history.

Can they hang in direct sunlight?

Direct sunlight will fade the pigments and weaken the paper support. Even indirect bright light causes long-term fading, especially with older organic dyes used in eighteenth-century works. Keep them in a shady hallway or a room with drawn curtains. If you need to hang one in a brighter space, consider having a framer fit conservation glass that filters out harmful ultraviolet light.

When people talk about pastel paintings having a spacer in the frame, what does that actually mean and why is it supposedly so important for keeping the artwork safe over time?

A spacer is a hidden strip of wood or card placed inside the frame edge. It sits between the glass and the artwork. Because pastel is a dry powder, it must never touch the glass. If the paper touches the glazing, the pigment will stick to it and pull away from the support. A spacer creates a safe gap. It also gives any loose dust somewhere to fall without smearing across the image.

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Antique Pastel

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An antique pastel is a dry medium artwork made using sticks of powdered pigment and a minimal binder, popular for portraits and landscapes where artists wanted immediate, soft colour without a lengthy drying process.