Keywords
Chinese painting, calligraphy, album, Chinese paper, Chinese silk, restoration, conservation, physical and chemical research, biological research, exhibiting, oriental painting, State Hermitage Museum,
How to Cite
Shishkova E. G., Samosyuk K. F., Divletkildeeva A. O., Smolyanitskaya O. L., Khavrin S. V., Chugunova K. S., Grigorieva I. A., Urazaeva Y. R. Restoration of 18th century Chinese album // The Art of Eurasia, 2021. № 4 (23). P. 254-269. URL: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2021.04.020.
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Abstract
The aim of the article is to share our experience of restoring the Album of Drawings. The Emperor Qian Long’s Tour of Inspection to Southern China. Curator K.F. Samosyuk has dated the album to 1751–1758. There is little information in Russia on restoring albums of this kind. Restoration of painting on paper and silk is complicated by the fragility of the support material and painting technique; we therefore chose non – destructive research methods without taking samples. Ethical problems were also considered. For the first time we used physical, chemical and biological analysis to determine the appropriate restoration method. Biological research led us to replace old, faded album pages with new ones. We then used traditional Chinese restoration methods and our own experience to restore and preserve the album. Along with other sources, for the first time in Russia, Yan Guirong’s Illustrated Instructions for the Mounting of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting, 2013 was used. The key factor, though, was the experience we gained during research secondments at Shanghai Museum. We also examine the problem of adapting painting and calligraphy albums to new requirements for the preservation and exhibiting of graphic art. Historically, album pages with illustrations were mounted in pairs and glued together. Because of the album’s severe state of deterioration we decided to mount the pages on separate sheets. This new form of preservation has enabled separate pages from the album to be shown at differently – themed exhibitions and for rotation to take place. The article shows the logical process involved in choice of restoration method based on our research findings and a combination of traditional and modern restoration methods.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Coca-Cola Foundation, the V. Potanin Charitable Foundation, Christine Barnard (MA, MITI, translator), as well as the staff of the Scientific Restoration of Oriental Painting of the State Hermitage Museum who took part in the restoration of the album: A.O. Andreeva, E.A. Maslova, V.A. Rumyantseva, K.V. Yagina and the photographer of the Editorial and Publishing Department K.V. Sinyavsky.
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