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Lee Davis
NAWCC #11096

Reverse Painting on Glass
by Lee Davis, York, PA, USA

Examples

Long known and practiced in the Orient, reverse painting enjoyed its greatest popularity in America during the early 1800s. Used in clocks and some mirrors, this unusual art form requires the artist to paint the design on one side of the glass while it will be viewed from the other. Because of this, scenes which are not symmetrical must be painted in mirror image so that when the glass is turned over those objects placed on the right side will be entered first with successive steps entering those things which appear further back.

Painting done for many early shelf clock glasses was probably the work of women living in the communities where the clocks were made, but evidence of this and the exact techniques used at that time are scarce. Reverse painting on glass, which was used in conjunction with shelf clocks in America, lasted from about 1815 to 1850 when it was replaced by the forerunner of the modern decal. Except for a brief period of time during the Victorian period when it enjoyed a resurgence, reverse painting almost became extinct.

The French, or more fashionable name for the art form is EGLOMISE. This honors Glomi, a French or Swiss decorator, who painted in gold leaf on glass. An Eglomise panel should therefore be of gilt on glass; as the term is now commonly used, it refers to any painted panel.

$50 lab fee due to gold leafing materials

Examples of Reverse Painting Process

Glass #1

The glass is cut to size and cleaned well to remove all grease and dirt.
A gelatin and water solution is prepared and applied to the area to be gold leafed. The leaf is then placed on the sizing and the glass allowed to dry for several hours.
When all sizing has evaporated, the leaf is burnished and the appropriate design is etched into it. This is then backed with asphaltum.

On the glass the asphaltum has only been placed on one half of the design to show the etching.

Glass #2

On this glass, the excess gold has been partially removed showing the completed bob opening design.

The border has been lined off and a coat of varnish applied to that area. When the varnish is almost dry, the border designed is stenciled into it. Here, the design is partially entered showing the different stencils used.

Glass #3

The border has been completed and backed so that the stenciling shows up much more and the remainder of the excess gold leaf has been removed, revealing the entire pendulum bob opening. Also, the design has been partially drawn on in India ink and the painting begun.

Normally these things would be done one step at a time, but the transitional stages are shown here to better illustrate the process and the end result.

Glass #4

After the paint on the foreground of the picture has dried, the things further back may be painted.

On this glass the building has almost been completed in four steps with one more yet to be done. The trees have been painted in two steps.

Glass #5

The building has been finished, then the ground painted on, and finally the sky to complete the glass. The glass is an exact copy of one used in a carved pillar and splat made by Mark Leavenworth of Waterbury, Connecticut.

Last Updated: March 21, 2007