The Study and Restoration of Works of Chinese Art in the Hermitage

It features works marked by high quality, particular complexity and thoroughness of execution. Created in a period from the late 16th century to the middle of the 19th century in official workshops for the Chinese imperial palaces, they are among the finest examples of Chinese crafts and art.

The State Hermitage is home to the most extensive collection of Chinese artworks in Russia. It began to form in the 17th century, when exotic articles and expensive Far Eastern materials arrived in Moscow. To affirm and glorify his new capital on the banks of the River Neva, Tsar Peter I purchased, brought from Moscow and also received as gifts Chinese fabrics, porcelain, lacquer items and much else besides. Those objects adorned Russia’s first museum, the Kunstkammer, and the interiors of palaces in Saint Petersburg and its suburbs. The acquisition of Chinese rarities continued through the 18th and 19th centuries. The palace collections were enriched with pieces of jewellery, items made of silk, bronze and enamel, and painted scrolls.

During the 20th century, when artistic treasures were relocated, the Hermitage became heir to works from many historical collections. The long life of the objects, their transfer from one collection or museum to another and storage in difficult conditions all had an influence on their state of preservation. That is why the exhibition gives visitors an idea not only of the works of Chinese artists and craftspeople, but also of how these pieces are studied, preserved and restored in the Hermitage.

Almost every work of Oriental art has its own history, certain peculiarities that make an individual approach necessary. A large portion of the materials, especially those of natural origin, and the techniques employed to make items have no analogies in European crafts and artistic decoration. For example, the gold thread used to embroider silk fabrics is made in China by wrapping gilded paper around a core of silk. Such thread is extremely susceptible to moisture, which means that a fabric decorated in this manner can only be cleaned without water.

Quite often items are made from a combination of materials and several specialists in different fields will work on their restoration. This fan, made of carved mother-of-pearl and painted paper, was rejuvenated by staff from the Laboratory for the Scientific Restoration of Oriental Painting and the Laboratory for the Scientific Restoration of Furniture. In order to reconstruct the missing mother-of-pearl elements, it was necessary to seek out the appropriate seashells, and many of those that were used in China several centuries ago are now on the brink of extinction. Quite often restorers are obliged to work with more readily available materials or synthetic substitutes.

One of the eye-catching exhibits is a large screen on a stand. It is made from precious materials that were regulated for use in the palace: the rare and expensive timber of the zitan tree, jade, lapis lazuli, lacquer, enamel and more. Such articles were exceptionally expensive and virtually unknown outside of China. Screens of this sort were placed a short distance from doorways and behind thrones to decorate the room and to provide protection from evil spirits. On the back of this example there is an inlaid Chinese inscription. It is a poem by the Qianlong Emperor (reigned 1736–1795), a member of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

The poem was written in 1760, and the screen, commissioned by the Emperor, was made about that same time as is indicated by the style, character and quality of the carving. Over its long life this piece has suffered badly. During one restoration, believed to have been in the 19th century, the screen’s stand was fitted together incorrectly. A considerable part of the cloisonné enamel on it was lost and replaced with a tinted wood inset of later date. Many elements of the stone and wood inlay have not survived. The present-day restoration of this piece comprised of two stages. Initially staff of the Laboratory for the Scientific Restoration of Furniture worked on the screen itself, removing soiling and later accretions of varnish. The losses of jade inlay were made good with artificial materials. Then the restorers turned their attention to the incorrectly assembled stand. The wooden inset was removed and replaced with one made of epoxy resin so as to achieve maximum resemblance to the original enamel. The stand was put back together in accordance with the old slots and the pattern of the piece. As a result of the joint efforts of the keepers of the works of Chinese art and the restorers, the floor-standing screen, like other items presented in the exhibition, was made suitable for public display.

The exhibition curator is Maria Lvovna Menshikova, senior researcher in the State Hermitage’s Department of the East, Keeper of the collections of Chinese applied art and jewellery and of objects from Dunhuang.

The opening of the exhibition is taking place as part of the 8th Saint Petersburg International Cultural Forum.