Marvin,
The rabbit skin glue also plays an important role in keeping the acidity in the paint from rotting the canvas as well.
The expanding and shrinking of linen is a real problem for aged paint layers that have gone brittle due to time.
Polyester will not expand and contract once stretched, paint will not rot it, it should outlast linen or cotton. At least some conservators are using it to reline old work.
However it has a mechanical weave. It does not absorb water, so does acrylic primer stick well?
Acrylic primer under oil is still a question over umpteen years, as no one knows for sure yet, even the makers of the paint admit to that, and at least one plans on tests of this. Though acrylic does protect the fabric from deterioration due to the acidity of oils.
If you want "lasting" ... paint on a panel (even canvas glued to a panel) as movement of the support is named the number one enemy of lasting.
I still gamble on acrylic primer, since it is easy and readily available. Panels are a nice solid unyielding surface, which I actually like, unlike most Artists.
Rabbit skin glue/lead white primer/panel is probably a lot better and nicer to paint on so long as you let the lead white primer dry a long time.
It stinks to be Odd N. if that happened to his work. Stuff should at least last your lifetime plus a generation or two, just out of professional pride if nothing else.
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