Encaustic paintings will not fade, because the wax prevents oxidation of the pigments. Unlike with oils, which deteriorate with age, encaustic portraits painted around 2000 years ago are so well preserved that they might well have been painted yesterday. This is confirmed by the delicate colouring of the 'Portrait of a Woman' at the British Musem in London.
We mount Lester's paintings using a coloured mat or mounting board. Most of the coloured mounts will fade if exposed to too much daylight owing to the bleaching effect of the ultraviolet component. For this reason the pictures should be sited out of direct sunlight - which is true of most pictures, as you probably know.
Although the reproduction prints can be mounted directly behind the glass, this is not true of original encaustics because if the wax surface touches the glass, unsightly marks occur at the point of contact. We, therefore, space the wax away from the glass by the use of the mounting board. Because the wax image is behind the mount, the board keeps the wax surface from contacting the glass. Another good reason for assembling the frame in this was is that the surface of an encaustic painting is fairly delicate. The glass protects the surface from accidental scratching and denting.
For a while, after their creation, encaustic waxes give off a very small amount of harmless wax vapour which causes the wax surface to deposit a light 'bloom' on it, so slightly reducing the vibrancy of the colours. (This process is much the same as the way that dark chocolates will acquire a white-ish bloom if they get heated in the sun, or are kept well beyond their sell-by date).
This is nothing to worry about. The process is so gradual that you will probably not notice that it is happening. However, in its early life, it is good to get rid of any bloom by lightly polishing the wax surface with a soft tissue, being careful not to let the wax mark the paper on which the wax is mounted. You will be amazed at how the image brightens up. Once or twice a year (at most) should be often enough if the picture is recently painted. Then only very occasionally, if ever.
If your picture is not framed when you buy it, tell the framer that you will want to get at the wax to polish it occasionally, otherwise he might make it very difficult for you to dismantle the picture to do the polishing. He should, of course, also be reminded to be careful not to scratch or damage the wax surface when he is framing the picture.
It is fairly obvious that, as with most paintings, you should not hang the picture where it will receive direct sunlight. This is because of the tendency for the mount, or in the case of a print, the reproduced image, to fade with time.
The melting point of wax is about 62 degrees Centigrade/Celcius so one should avoid accidental exposure to the heat of a fire. However, it is very unlikely that hanging it a sensible distance over a radiator will reach that temperature.
If you want to see the encaustic at its very best, shine a spotlight on it (from a distance so as not to overheat it!). Although this is not true of all encaustics, the chances are that the picture will spring to life in a breathtaking way. If this is the case, and you are really proud of your purchase, you might consider having a spotlight installed in the ceiling above the picture. The way it comes to life when the spotlight comes on will delight your friends.
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