We describe a new, safe, and effective method for removing
wax
resin adhesive from the canvases of paintings conserved by the once
widely used Dutch Method, which involved attaching a new canvas to
the back of a painting using an adhesive made of beeswax and natural
resin. First, a low-toxicity cleaning mixture for dissolving the adhesive
and removing it from the canvases was developed, and then a nanocomposited
organogel was obtained. The ability of the organogel to remove the
adhesive from canvases was investigated on the lining of the 1878
painting “Battle of Grunwald” by Jan Matejko, with promising
results. Additionally, we found that the organogel can be used several
times with no visible loss of cleaning ability. Finally, the effectiveness
and safety of the method were confirmed on two oil paintings (one
from the National Museum in Warsaw): all the wax resin adhesive was
removed and the painting regained its original brightness and vivid
colors.