A Closer Look at Conservation（史密斯基金会就画像藏品的收购修复过程所作的图解）

史密斯基金会提供的这段中国画修复过程的图解文章非常有趣，贴过来与朋友们分享。

标题：A Closer Look at Conservation

简介：Introduction

Step behind the closed doors of the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research to see how several portraits in the Sackler Gallery's exhibition Worshiping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits were restored.

Remember! These are trained professionals – don't try this at home on your cherished family portrait of your great grandmother.

配图一：

Smoke, Dirt, and Mold
Most of the works in this exhibition are ancestor portraits — paintings used by families in annual rituals to venerate or worship their forebears. On these special occasions, the portraits were hung over family altars, and rituals were performed before them. Over generations of use, the paintings darkened from the accumulation of incense smoke and dirt. When they were not on view, most of the scrolls were rolled up and stored in damp conditions. Water stains and mold damaged some of the most impressive portraits.

配图二：来自中国的博物馆工作人员在修复工作中。




Preparing for the Exhibition
Restoring a painting to its original condition after hundreds of years of wear and tear — and even neglect — is a time-consuming yet rewarding undertaking. A skilled professional with a steady hand, intense attention to detail, and lots of patience can almost miraculously restore a work to its former splendor.

This conservation project was made possible by the generous support of Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation.

配图三：


白菜注: the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research的网页地址为——
http://www.asia.si.edu/visitor/conservation.htm

清洁： Cleaning

配图一：Stains and dirt are obvious on the portrait and mounting.




One example of the cleaning process that was used for many of the paintings is the treatment of the portrait of Prince Hongming (see left). After many years of exposure to dust, grime, and soot from incense, the portrait had become soiled, stained, and darkened. Also, at some time in the painting's history, water soaked the upper right corner, staining the silk background cloth.

配图二：A moist cotton swab rolled gently across the surface of the pigment loosens dirt.



The surface of the painting was first cleaned with a soft brush to remove loose dirt and dust. Lightly moistened cotton swabs were then gently rolled over the painting to loosen and remove soil. Since many of the paintings are sensitive to water, great care was taken not to disturb pigments on the surface. Stained areas of the background silk were also cleaned using a vacuum table that draws water through the silk without damaging the delicate silk fiber. This process removes staining but does not endanger the pigments.

配图三：After treatment, the portrait has regained much of its original brightness and clarity.   

Detail; Portrait of Prince Hongming (1705–1767). China, Qing dynasty, 1767, or later copy. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; image only, 200.8 x 115.4 cm. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Purchase—Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and partial gift of Richard G. Pritzlaff, S1991.61


After many hours of careful cleaning, the pigments appear brighter and the surface of the painting is lighter overall. The staining in the blank area surrounding the painted image is barely noticeable. We now have a better idea of how the portrait may have looked when it was first painted.

颜料防脱与平复折痕:Consolidating Pigments and Reinforcing Creases

配图一:The silk support and paper linings of this detail of the portrait of Daisan are creased and broken.


As a hanging scroll ages, it dries out andbecomes less flexible. Repeated rolling and unrolling causes themounting structure to crease or crack and eventually break. Thesecreases force the pigments on the painting surface to loosen andseparate from the silk support and cause paint losses in the image. Theextent of this problem also depends upon the age of the painting, howfrequently it was rolled and unrolled, and the quality of the materialsand techniques that the artist used. For example, in this portrait ofDaisan, a major leader during the early Qing dynasty (1644–1911), theanimal glue binder that was mixed with the painting's pigments morethan a century ago has lost its holding strength. As a result, thepigments have become powdery and easily fall from the silk surface.

配图二:A Sackler conservator uses a vacuum table to consolidate pigments of another hanging scroll.

In this case, the loose (exfoliating) pigmentswere consolidated, or adhered in place, using a traditional animal gluebinder. The solid glue was dissolved in warm water to a 1 percentconcentration and applied with a brush or sprayer over the unstablepigments. This process, which takes several hours, was repeated inareas needing better adhesion. Areas where the pigments are coarse orthickly applied were consolidated using a vacuum table (see left). Thetable's strong suction pulled the animal glue binder through the thicklayers of pigments and into contact with the silk support beneath, thusensuring stable consolidation.

配图三:The consolidated pigments of Daisan's portrait are now stable, and the crease has been reinforced.



The stabilized pigments are no longer in dangerof coming (cleaving) off the surface of the painting when the portraitis handled and displayed. The creases in the mounting support are nowreinforced with strips of paper applied from the back. These paperstrips minimize the support's effects and deter further damage to thepainting.

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重新装裱:Reusing or Replacing Mounting Silks

配图一:The old mounting silk surrounding this portrait of Lirongbao's wife is creased, torn, and dirty.


The colorful silks that are part of the backing,or "frame," for the portraits form an important part of the painting'shistory. When possible, conservators reuse old mounting silks that arein good condition and are appropriate to the painting in terms of colorand age. In these cases, the silk mounting fabric is removed, cleaned,and remounted around the painting.Sometimes the silk is simply worn or damaged beyond repair, as wasthe case with the portrait of Lirongbao's wife. The old mounting silkwas extremely soiled and stained. It is also torn and broken, and largepieces were missing. These silk fabrics had become so weak and brittlethat they no longer support the painting safely. Even after cleaning,they could still have shown signs of wear, fading, and stains. Theconservator and curator decided to remove the old mounting and replaceit with new silk.

配图二: New silks are placed around the painting to help the conservator andcurator select an appropriate combination of colors for the newmounting.


The conservator and curator selected new silkfabrics that are historically accurate and visually harmonize with thepainting. Pattern, color, and the style of the mounting were all takeninto consideration. For example, a bright yellow silk decorated withcertain birds or dragons would be appropriate for an imperial portrait,while a more subdued tan goes well with this portrait of the emperor'smother-in-law. Since the mounting must complement the painting, thesilk is often dyed to soften colors and to make the fabric look olderso it blends with the age of the painting. The fabrics are then linedwith thin Chinese paper, and wheat starch paste is used to adhere thepainting to the mounting. This process takes several weeks to complete.

配图三:The new mounting both highlights the portrait and provides a stable support for displaying the scroll.

Portrait of Lirongbao's Wife (act. late 17th century). China, Qing dynasty, 18th to 19th century. Hanging scroll; ink andcolor on silk; image only, 177.6 x 98.6 cm. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery,Purchase—Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and partial giftof Richard G. Pritzlaff, S1991.129


The new mounting silks were dyed to a shade thatharmonizes with the age, color, and style of this portrait. The newfabrics make a durable yet flexible mounting that both shows thepainting to its best advantage and creates a safe support for thescroll's display and handling.

The new mounting silks were dyed to a shade thatharmonizes with the age, color, and style of this portrait. The newfabrics make a durable yet flexible mounting that both shows thepainting to its best advantage and creates a safe support for thescroll's display and handling.

另：
白菜听说有网友称：“不喜欢有人拿外国博物馆的藏品显摆”云云，白菜特此声明，本人并非文物鉴定、考古学、博物馆学专家，为了乐趣在网上四处搜罗这些资料与同好者一同分享，没有炫耀的意思（我才智有限，只能为论坛尽我一份心力），相信这份心意，通情达理的朋友们自然会理解，故意要恶意误解白菜，我也无话可说。这些天来所发布的图片出处我全都有认真地注明，大家有问题可以去与该博物馆联系，或者求教大方。希望大家找到资料后，无论中外，也拿到论坛来使我们大家同开眼界，一起为论坛添砖加瓦，白菜感激之至。

还有，论坛上的大多图片都是国内外各大网站对全世界公众发布的，有些论坛出于某些考虑，故意对网友隐瞒这些图片的出处，甚至于编造这些图片的出处，这都是白菜不屑为，不喜为之事。把这些图片的来源公诸于众，就是为同好者作更深一步研究提供参考信息。至于文物的真伪，白菜无从得知，也请大家不要迷信抄书公白菜转贴而来的这些资料，本着学无止境的精神进一步求证，辨析。并积极与这些国内外研究机构取得联系，我想他们一定会很高兴有人指正他们工作中的发生的偏差和谬误。

再一次感谢大家对论坛的关注和支持。白菜对国内外各大网站资料的收集仍将继续。请各位随时惠赐资料，反馈意见与指正错误。

非常感谢lz的贡献，史密斯基金会的修复过程太有意思了！

楼主和史密斯基金会，功德无量。