Posted by Jan on December 22, 2001 at 05:09:49:
In Reply to: Re: Framed and Glazed - 2 questions posted by John Fiorillo on December 19, 2001 at 09:17:52:
Thank you for both of your detailed answers, John. I truly appreciate it.
Can I ask if it was common to make paper with flecks of mica in it? Now that you describe it, I feel certain that this is what I am looking at. This paper also seems harder than what I am used to thinking of as original print paper. I am wondering if mica-added paper was part of original print making or if it might have been used to make a reproduction. The 2 prints I found with this were a Toyokuni I and an Eizan, and I am a little suspicious of them.
: (1) Glazed means "under or covered by glass." Auction houses use the term to indicate that works of art have both a frame around them plus a sheet of glass covering or enclosing the art work. They do this to distiguish between works having just a frame, as in the case of many paintings on canvas, versus art works such as prints, pastels, or watercolors (and even some paintings) that have both frames and glass.
: (2) Although you doubt that you are observing mica, it still sounds like you are speaking of mica, as a result of its being (a) sprinkled over the entire surface after the printing of colors, (b) incorporated into the paper itself during its manufacture, or (c) added during the sizing process. If it is not mica, it might be another mineral with refractive qualities (an art conservator could tell you more). In any case, it has nothing to do with the "glazing" quoted by auction houses.
: John