What a find! Like you, I'd would had to have had them! As a painter in my other life, you could take a dampened cotton swab and swab a small area, maybe near the base of of leaf, to see if the paint comes off. Even if it does remove a bit of paint it would resemble the shading already there. I would also wash gently in cold water if ever washed. Perhaps just hanging it out in the spring for an airing would suffice, especially if used on a guest bed. I agree with previous posts about sashing and embroidery of flower names. Great ideas.