Karin, Peter,
Thank you for your comments. As Mai has also suggested, I will tone down the background to a more neutral color. As I know nothing about glazing, I find I am not brave enough to try the experiment on an almost-finished painting, so I will paint opaque on top.
Peter, the edge of the nose was almost lost on the reference photo, but I did think of the Vermeer painting when I decided to leave it lost.
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