Poster No.

11 Statue of the Bodhisattva Guanyin

By John Larson

The Art of the Conservator Eddited by Andrew Oddy; published by Smithsonian Inst Pr, Washington DC, in 1992

The Abstract
The figure of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, now in the Victoria and
Albert Museum, was carved in the Jin Period (1115-1234). In
1978 it was decided that the sculpture was in need of
conservation, because the painted surface was in poor condition
and flaking off. The main difficulty in choosing the treatment was
lack of information regarding conservation of similar sculptures.
A preliminary examination using a hand lens revealed that there
were many layers of clay, paint, paper and gesso; afterwards
Xrays were used to investigate how the sculpture was
constructed and a sample, 5mm long, was taken and sent to the
Jodrell Laboratory to identify the wood. Afterwards pigment
sample was taken and analyzed, revealing twelve layers of
pigment and ground. The examination also showed that the
most recent layer of restoration using thick layer of paper, and
paint above were the main cause of damage to the surface of
the sculpture. Hence, it was decided it should be removed,
leaving small areas in situ. The work of cleaning was spread over
a period of two years, and it was established that the sculpture
had originally been painted and then had been restored three
times. Using comparison with other sculptures it was realized
that the sculpture had been restored twice during Ming dynasty
(14-17c.) and once in the late 19th or early 20th c. In conclusion,
the figure of Guanyin has always had a great presence and

beauty, but the conservation and

restoration had also revealed some of the
fine details, enhancing the beauty of the
great masterpiece.

Macrostructures

The figure of Bodhisattva from China, Jin

Period
A Bodhisattva is someone who has prepared
himself to enter the blissful state of nirvana
In 1978 it was decided that the sculpture
was in need of conservation, but difficult to
choose treatment
A preliminary examination showed layers of
clay, paint, paper and gesso
Xrays were used to investigate how the
sculpture was constructed
Pigment sample was taken and analyzed
revealing 12 layers
Kaolin (white china clay) was used for white
ground beneath paint layer

The most recent layer of restoration with paper, and paint were the
main cause of damage to the surface of the sculpture
The sculpture had been restored twice during Ming dynasty and once
in the late 19th or early 20th c.

the conservation and restoration had also

revealed some of the fine details, enhancing
the beauty of the great masterpiece.