School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemCharacterization of a Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra excavated in Lu’an, China(Springer, 2019-12-01)Historically, sutras played an important role in spreading Buddhist faith and doctrine, and today these remain important records of Buddhist thought and culture. A Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra with polychrome paintings was found inside the cavity on top of the Nanmen Buddhist pagoda, built in the early Tang dynasty (618–627 CE) and located in Anhui Province, China. Textile was found on the preface which is strongly degraded and fragile. Unfortunately, the whole sutra is under severe degradation and is incomplete. Technical analysis based on scientific methods will benefits the conservation of the sutra. Optical microscopy (OM), micro-Raman spectroscopy combined with optical microscope (Raman), scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the pigment and gilded material, as well as the paper fiber and textile. Pigments such as cinnabar, minium, paratacamite, azurite, lead white were found. Gilded material was identified as gold. A five-heddle warp satin, made of silk, was found as the textile on the preface of the sutra. The sutra’s preface and inner pages were made of paper comprised of bamboo and bark. As a magnificent yet recondite treasure of Buddhism, the sutra was analyzed for a better understanding of the material. A conservation project of the sutra will be scheduled accordingly.
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ItemThe development of conservation practices in China from the 1980s to the present(Taylor & Francis, 2016)This article reviews cultural materials conservation in China from its foundations in the early 1950s when traditional craftsmanship and workshop techniques were practised, through its growth in the 1980s to the present day as a prestigious profession at the leading edge of multidisciplinary science. Its historical evolution is delineated into four phases: traditional, post-revolution, post-1980 and contemporary cultural materials conservation. The current situation of the conservation profession in China is discussed in terms of regulation, organisation, education, cooperation, current challenges and future opportunities.