How do I care for antique prints?

Keep paper works away from direct sunlight to prevent ink fading and paper yellowing. Maintain stable room humidity to protect the fragile fibres. Use acid-free mounting materials when framing to ensure long-term preservation of engravings and watercolours.

What subjects are most common?

Portraits of identifiable sitters and nobility appear frequently, alongside classical mythological scenes. Still life compositions featuring fruit and flowers also recur. Architectural engravings and historical prints relating to the classical world provide alternative subject matter from the period.

Are these paintings signed?

Many eighteenth century works remain unsigned, attributed instead through stylistic analysis or recorded provenance. Engravings often credit the original painter alongside the printmaker. Portraits sometimes bear contemporary inscriptions identifying the sitter or the artist on the reverse or within the border.

How do I distinguish oil from watercolours?

Oil paintings feature textured brushstrokes and a heavy pigment layer on canvas or wood panels. Watercolours present a flat, translucent finish on paper surfaces. Examining the piece under magnification reveals the weave of the canvas or the absorbent texture of antique paper.