The Perfect Art. Leitz Summicron 50mm DR

Work with the blanket chest panels has been going on quietly over the last few weeks, previous progress report here.
We had considered a scene or figure taken from hand printed Japanese wallpaper rolls for each of the chest's seven panels.  But the cost was prohibitive and would have been very wasteful, since we would have to buy a minimum of three huge rolls.
So Editor went back to the drawing board.  She discovered that one can buy custom-printed posters of Japanese artwork.  They are printed on archival, acid-free card stock, and are ridiculously cheap for the quality.  They're just the right size, when cropped slightly, to fill each panel with a different figure or scene.  We have a go, but that's not the end of it...
We ordered one print as a sample.  Then began the research on how to adhere the print to the wood backer panel.  I was not happy with using varnish as the glue, as one would with decoupage; it didn't stick consistently.  More research produced an archival-grade, acid-free  paper glue which adheres to just about anything, is non-sticky while applying, and it's easy to clean up any excess with damp paper towels.  But one has to remove the glossy finish on the back of the card stock to give the glue some purchase.  It turns out that sticky packing tape will pull it right off without damage to the stock.  I tried the new glue; it adhered the print to the backer board perfectly.  The last step was to apply a clear, water-based varnish over the print to protect it from dust and dirt.  It adhered perfectly to the glazed print stock, and the colors didn't run at all.  So we've gone through the entire process with the sample, are happy, and the sample, depicted here, will have a custom frame made for it, and hang in a corner.
More prints for the final glue-up have been ordered.  We're feeling very good about all of this!