Mahakala as Panjaranatha is a late 15th century Ming era (1368-1644) court-produced Tibeto-Chines... more Mahakala as Panjaranatha is a late 15th century Ming era (1368-1644) court-produced Tibeto-Chinese Buddhist thangka painting on cotton. In the 1980s, the thangka was remounted into a Japanese-style panel format, creating a confusing visual context for the painting. A loan request afforded an opportunity to address this issue while carrying out conservation treatment. Research was conducted to determine an appropriate mounting style. Ming era thangkas and thangkas with fishtail-style mounting from various collections were surveyed by examining the fabric pattern, proportion, and other decorative details. Ming era textiles were also researched to understand commonly used patterns and motifs. Taking into consideration the results of the research as well as advice from thangka scholars, a new mounting was designed with practical adjustments. Treatment involving surface cleaning, partial facing, reinforcement, infilling, and inpainting was also undertaken. After treatment, the thangka was stitched into the reconstructed mounting along the margins, which was then sewn onto a fabric-covered, padded aluminum panel and framed. Mahakala in its newly constructed mounting allows for a more holistic and cohesive visual representation that better aligns with the Tibeto-Chinese aesthetic than its previous state.
The physical condition of Chinese folding fans can be quite poor because of the heavily applied s... more The physical condition of Chinese folding fans can be quite poor because of the heavily applied sizing, coating, and finishing used in the production process. Additionally, their folding function can also result in severe tearing and cracking to the paper support. A major treatment for Chinese folding fans could address these condition issues and replace the damaged lining; however, it would involve disassembly and reassembly, which is very time consuming and labor intensive. Furthermore, major treatment could adversely affect the undamaged side of the fan. This article includes an explanation of the structure of the Chinese folding fan and offers a tip to mend the tears on the paper-based folding fans without disassembly. It is hoped this tip will be useful for conservators working on similar cases.
The Book and Paper Group (BPG) Annual of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), 2017
East Asian Buddhist Sutras are sometimes mounted in accordion book format and are commonly seen i... more East Asian Buddhist Sutras are sometimes mounted in accordion book format and are commonly seen in China, Japan and Korea. Sutra text is written mostly in gold or silver on indigo dyed paper. The indigo papers were either brush or vat dyed, lined with layers of paper, and then joined together as needed. A long, horizontal section of indigo paper was folded into narrow pages, and wooden or paper covers were attached to the ends. A Korean Buddhist sutra, Dirghagama Sutra, in ten-leaf accordion book format with both top and bottom paper covers was brought in for treatment to the Asian Conservation lab at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Many of the condition problems of this sutra were likely linked to the its function as a personal religious item. For example, damage and losses due to excessive handling, an embossed circular impression likely from a vessel of some sort, substantial dirt and soiling, unknown attachments, crude repairs (tape)…etc. Major treatment involving the dissembly and re-mounting of the sutra had to be considered in order to stabilize the sutra and permit its safe display. This paper presents the examination, documentation and treatment of a Korean Buddhist Sutra. Treatment included surface cleaning, structural stabilization, disassembling, tape removal, infilling, lining and mounting. Conservators overcame several challenges such as: unifying the size of pages, infilling the missing section of the folding areas, combining the front and back with folding lines aligned. During the course of treatment, several interesting discoveries were made involving the interior structure of the sutra, as well as the materials used to create the object. It is hoped this case will be useful for the future conservation of other similar sutras mounted in accordion book format.
The Book and Paper Group (BPG) Annual of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), 2015
In the conservation of Japanese or Chinese art works, the mounting parts can sometimes be replace... more In the conservation of Japanese or Chinese art works, the mounting parts can sometimes be replaced with new ones with the same or similar patterns/colors after the discussion between conservator and curator. The discussion might include physical condition, authentic and aesthetic issues to the mounting. In some cases, however, the mountings should be treated as works of art and kept because their existence presents the style, movement, or historic meaning related to the art works. In these cases, digital reproduction on an appropriate support (digital in-filling) could be an efficient technique to compensate losses to the mounting. The folding screens, The Deities of the Tanni-sho, by Munakata Shiko (Japanese, 1903-1975) and a hanging scroll, Standing Courtesan, by Keisai Eisen (Japanese, 1790-1848) from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s collections are Japanese prints with Asian format mountings. In the case of Munakata’s folding screens, the decorative papers at the back are typical Folk Art Movement (Mingei) style fold-dyed papers. The artist, Munakata Shiko, dedicated these screens to the founder of the Mingei movement, Yanagi Soetsu, with an inscription on the labels at the back of the screens. Therefore, the decorative papers should be treated as works of art and put back into place on the screens. Eisen’s print, Standing Courtesan was mounted as a hanging scroll with decorative Japanese papers, decorative strips (ichimonji and suji), a single backing and thin bamboo dowels. Few prints have survived like this print relative to the quantity printed, and of those, even fewer have survived with their decorative mounts intact. In order to conserve this print with its proper historical format intact, a treatment had to be designed to improve both the aesthetic and condition of the print and its mount. In these two cases, losses are seen on both mountings. Taking into account the historic background, condition and character of the decorative papers, this paper presents the decision making process when considering digital versus traditional hand colored in-filling. These two different approaches were used to achieve satisfactory results for compensating the losses in these two cases. Hopefully, this paper will be useful for the conservation of other Asian works of art and their mounting in the future.
Mahakala as Panjaranatha is a late 15th century Ming era (1368-1644) court-produced Tibeto-Chines... more Mahakala as Panjaranatha is a late 15th century Ming era (1368-1644) court-produced Tibeto-Chinese Buddhist thangka painting on cotton. In the 1980s, the thangka was remounted into a Japanese-style panel format, creating a confusing visual context for the painting. A loan request afforded an opportunity to address this issue while carrying out conservation treatment. Research was conducted to determine an appropriate mounting style. Ming era thangkas and thangkas with fishtail-style mounting from various collections were surveyed by examining the fabric pattern, proportion, and other decorative details. Ming era textiles were also researched to understand commonly used patterns and motifs. Taking into consideration the results of the research as well as advice from thangka scholars, a new mounting was designed with practical adjustments. Treatment involving surface cleaning, partial facing, reinforcement, infilling, and inpainting was also undertaken. After treatment, the thangka was stitched into the reconstructed mounting along the margins, which was then sewn onto a fabric-covered, padded aluminum panel and framed. Mahakala in its newly constructed mounting allows for a more holistic and cohesive visual representation that better aligns with the Tibeto-Chinese aesthetic than its previous state.
The physical condition of Chinese folding fans can be quite poor because of the heavily applied s... more The physical condition of Chinese folding fans can be quite poor because of the heavily applied sizing, coating, and finishing used in the production process. Additionally, their folding function can also result in severe tearing and cracking to the paper support. A major treatment for Chinese folding fans could address these condition issues and replace the damaged lining; however, it would involve disassembly and reassembly, which is very time consuming and labor intensive. Furthermore, major treatment could adversely affect the undamaged side of the fan. This article includes an explanation of the structure of the Chinese folding fan and offers a tip to mend the tears on the paper-based folding fans without disassembly. It is hoped this tip will be useful for conservators working on similar cases.
The Book and Paper Group (BPG) Annual of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), 2017
East Asian Buddhist Sutras are sometimes mounted in accordion book format and are commonly seen i... more East Asian Buddhist Sutras are sometimes mounted in accordion book format and are commonly seen in China, Japan and Korea. Sutra text is written mostly in gold or silver on indigo dyed paper. The indigo papers were either brush or vat dyed, lined with layers of paper, and then joined together as needed. A long, horizontal section of indigo paper was folded into narrow pages, and wooden or paper covers were attached to the ends. A Korean Buddhist sutra, Dirghagama Sutra, in ten-leaf accordion book format with both top and bottom paper covers was brought in for treatment to the Asian Conservation lab at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Many of the condition problems of this sutra were likely linked to the its function as a personal religious item. For example, damage and losses due to excessive handling, an embossed circular impression likely from a vessel of some sort, substantial dirt and soiling, unknown attachments, crude repairs (tape)…etc. Major treatment involving the dissembly and re-mounting of the sutra had to be considered in order to stabilize the sutra and permit its safe display. This paper presents the examination, documentation and treatment of a Korean Buddhist Sutra. Treatment included surface cleaning, structural stabilization, disassembling, tape removal, infilling, lining and mounting. Conservators overcame several challenges such as: unifying the size of pages, infilling the missing section of the folding areas, combining the front and back with folding lines aligned. During the course of treatment, several interesting discoveries were made involving the interior structure of the sutra, as well as the materials used to create the object. It is hoped this case will be useful for the future conservation of other similar sutras mounted in accordion book format.
The Book and Paper Group (BPG) Annual of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), 2015
In the conservation of Japanese or Chinese art works, the mounting parts can sometimes be replace... more In the conservation of Japanese or Chinese art works, the mounting parts can sometimes be replaced with new ones with the same or similar patterns/colors after the discussion between conservator and curator. The discussion might include physical condition, authentic and aesthetic issues to the mounting. In some cases, however, the mountings should be treated as works of art and kept because their existence presents the style, movement, or historic meaning related to the art works. In these cases, digital reproduction on an appropriate support (digital in-filling) could be an efficient technique to compensate losses to the mounting. The folding screens, The Deities of the Tanni-sho, by Munakata Shiko (Japanese, 1903-1975) and a hanging scroll, Standing Courtesan, by Keisai Eisen (Japanese, 1790-1848) from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s collections are Japanese prints with Asian format mountings. In the case of Munakata’s folding screens, the decorative papers at the back are typical Folk Art Movement (Mingei) style fold-dyed papers. The artist, Munakata Shiko, dedicated these screens to the founder of the Mingei movement, Yanagi Soetsu, with an inscription on the labels at the back of the screens. Therefore, the decorative papers should be treated as works of art and put back into place on the screens. Eisen’s print, Standing Courtesan was mounted as a hanging scroll with decorative Japanese papers, decorative strips (ichimonji and suji), a single backing and thin bamboo dowels. Few prints have survived like this print relative to the quantity printed, and of those, even fewer have survived with their decorative mounts intact. In order to conserve this print with its proper historical format intact, a treatment had to be designed to improve both the aesthetic and condition of the print and its mount. In these two cases, losses are seen on both mountings. Taking into account the historic background, condition and character of the decorative papers, this paper presents the decision making process when considering digital versus traditional hand colored in-filling. These two different approaches were used to achieve satisfactory results for compensating the losses in these two cases. Hopefully, this paper will be useful for the conservation of other Asian works of art and their mounting in the future.
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