Newsletter No. 25

No.25 December 1991 CUHK Newsletter The Preservation and Restoration of Relics No matter how well preserved an antique is, it still cannot escape the ageing process. The Art Gallery must try to prolong the life of its collection by retarding this ageing process. This is achieved in part by maintaining a constant temperature and humidity in the exhibition halls and storerooms, and in part by painting certain articles with a protective layer. Broken antiques on the other hand will need to be restored to their original appearance, both for research purposes and in order to appreciate them fully. Repairing these fractured relics is a complicated process which requires professional knowledge and expertise. According to Mr. G.H.P. Ning, the conservator, the key to the technique is to retain the weather-beaten features of the relics while restoring their original shapes. The main items which require restoration work in the gallery are paintings and calligraphy, ceramics and bronzes. Two members of the Art Gallery's staff currently work exclusively on mounting and restoring the Chinese paintings and calligraphy. But this is such a time-consuming task that only 50 items can be completed in a year. Restoration of any other antiquities depends solely on Mr. Ning, who, should you ever have the chance to visit him in his studio, may often be found cleaning the verdigris from the bronzes, or restoring ceramics. Restoring broken pieces of earthenware is somewhat akin to doing a jigsaw puzzle. The broken pieces first have to be rinsed, and then slotted into the appropriate gaps in the broken item, before being stuck together piece by piece. Any gaps due to missing pieces are filled in with plaster replicas and when the object has been restored to its original form, it can then be coloured. Even Mr. Ning, a remarkable craftsman with 13 years of experience behind him, says that it takes at least a week to restore one antique item. A great deal of patience and care are required by those involved in the profession. The main problem which they face is that theirs is such a rare profession that the materials which they require for their job are not easily found in the local market, and therefore have to be ordered from abroad. One of the consequences is that it is only those items which are just about to be displayed, or those which are very badly damaged, that are lucky enough to receive priority treatment. Looking Ahead Currently most special exhibitions are staged in collaboration with museums in mainland China. In the years to come, the Art Gallery will strive to strengthen its linkages with other overseas art associations and museums and explore possibilities of staging joint exhibitions with them. It will at the same time continue to function as a centre of research on Chinese art and archaeology and as a teaching museum for the University's Department of Fine Arts, which will offer Ph.D. programmes next year. It will also take on the important mission of training specialist staff to help solve the problem of manpower shortage faced by an increasing number of local art galleries and museums. 文物館二十周年紀念 Twentieth Anniversary of the Art Gallery It tookMr.Ningsevendays to restore this pieceof antique Art Gallery staff mounting a Chinesepainting 9