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Asian Conservation Studio
asian | furniture | objects | paintings | paper | research | textiles
 The Asian Conservation Studio at the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is one of only three such studios in the
United States and is the oldest outside of Asia. During Okakura
Kakuzo’s Curatorship, the Asian Conservation Studio was established
in 1907 within the department of Asiatic Art to preserve Japanese
paintings and was managed by a Japanese mounter named Motokichi
Tamura. In 1981 through a generous donation made by Carl A.
Weyerhaeuser Charitable Trusts in honor of Kojiro and Harriet
Tomita, the current Asian Conservation Studio was installed complete
with tatami mats (traditional Japanese floor covering). In 1995, the
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation donated funds to
establish an endowment for conservation materials required in
treating Chinese paintings, and to renovate workspace and provide
equipment needed for this activity. The Asian Conservation Studio
became part of the Department of Conservation & Collection
Management in 1998.
Asian Conservation cares for the
collections of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Himalayan and Islamic
paintings whose formats vary greatly and include handscrolls,
hanging scrolls, screens, panels, miniatures, albums, bound and
unbound manuscripts. The earliest painting on silk in the MFA’s
Asian art collection is a Chinese handscroll and dates from the
seventh century. The studio is also responsible for Japanese printed
books, 20,000 postcards and an estimated 60,000 prints. The
collections serviced by Asian Conservation are all housed under the
Department of Art of Asia, Oceania and Africa.
In the past,
treatment methods in the Asian Conservation Studio centered on
Japanese mounting techniques for the preservation of the Museum’s
Asian art on paper and silk. Today, the studio’s concerns are
focused on both traditional methods and scientific advancements in
the field of conservation. This approach allows staff to preserve
the integrity of paintings, drawings, and prints from all of the
diverse cultures that come under the heading of Asian art. In 1995,
the Cornelius van der Starr Endowment was established which funds a
conservator’s position to address the conservation needs of the
Chinese paintings’ collection. In 1999, the Higashiyama Kaii
endowment was similarly created for the treatment of the Japanese
paintings’ collection. Since 1999, individuals have worked with our
MFA staff conservators under this endowment as consultants and have
treated paintings for special exhibitions as well as our in-house
galleries. In the fall of 2004, the position will no longer be
consulting and the new staff position, Higashiyama Kaii Conservator,
will be filled. The core staff of the studio not only includes these
two endowed positions but one collections care specialist and three
other conservators each with their own specializations such as
Indian and Islamic miniatures, and Tibetan paintings.
In
addition to preserving two-dimensional Asian art, it is also the
duty of Asian Conservation to study the paintings being cared for
and treated. Asian Conservation therefore conducts research and
disseminates the information through publications and lectures.
Recently published research includes technical studies of Tibetan
thangka paintings, and an investigation into the collection’s
most famous and earliest Japanese painting, “Historical Buddha
Preaching on Vulture Peak.” Current on going research includes the
study of colorants used in Japanese woodblock prints and hanging
scroll mountings of Ukiyo-e
paintings.
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