Reverse painting is the technique of painting on the back of a sheet of glass so that the image is viewed through the glass from the front. The artist must work in reverse order, applying highlights and fine details first and the background last, and must also paint the composition as a mirror image so that it reads correctly from the other side.
The technique has a long history in Europe, used for devotional panels, folk pictures and decorative mirror frames, and it is closely related to verre églomisé, in which gilding or silver leaf is engraved and backed with colour. In the eighteenth century Chinese artists in Canton produced fine reverse paintings on glass for the export market, including portraits, landscapes and scenes of elegant figures, sometimes in carved and gilded frames. Reverse-painted glass tablets were also used on clock cases, barometers, mirror tops and later on shop signs and lamp shades. Because the paint lies on the back of the glass, it is protected from wear on the front but can flake, lift or blister, and losses are very difficult to restore. Collectors should examine the paint layer from behind wherever possible and check for overpainting.
