Restoration of Asian artworks
Sumi, Chinese ink, Chinese ancestors, prints, calligraphy, ink and pigment paintings, mounting of ancient and modern works…
Our team of specialists at L’Atelier du Temps Passé is fully equipped to address all restoration and conservation challenges for your Asian art objects.
All materials used for the creation of kakejiku or the restoration of works have a neutral pH and are selected in accordance with traditional practices and the principle of reversibility.
Traditional Rolled Mountings – Kakejiku
Asian papers are made from various plant fibers: paper mulberry, bamboo, hemp, and gampi. They are absorbent and delicate, allowing ink to penetrate and fully express its intensity and subtlety in the practice of calligraphy and sumi-e painting.
Ink comes in the form of a compact stick made of animal glue and soot, which must be ground on a fine-grain stone with water to become the black liquid with shades of red, blue, or brown.
These techniques spread throughout Asia with the diffusion of Buddhism and its texts carried by itinerant monks. To improve the conservation of documents and facilitate their transport and storage, flexible mounted scrolls were invented, known by their Japanese names: kakejiku (vertical hanging scrolls) or e-maki (horizontally unrolled scrolls). The silk patterns of the mountings and the forms of the kakejiku are codified according to the calligraphed text (sacred text or poem) or the theme of the painting.
Mounting and Scroll Preparation
The work is first marouflaged (ura-uchi), meaning it is backed and reinforced with another sheet of paper applied to its reverse using starch-based glue. This process strengthens the paper and flattens any warping caused by the brush, allowing the ink to reveal all its nuances. Marouflage is an essential preliminary step.
The work can then be framed with traditional silks or more contemporary textiles, according to the owner’s preference, and mounted as a scroll.
