How conservators stabilize a thousand-year-old masterpiece from China’s Tang dynasty
In short: This video follows conservator Hannah as she stitches support fabric onto a delicate Tang dynasty embroidery. Discover the meticulous process required to preserve this ancient textile, which depicts the Buddha at Vulture Peak and was once hidden away in a secret library.
The embroidery dates to the Tang dynasty, spanning AD 618 to 907. It illustrates a significant scene in Buddhist tradition: the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak, a location in modern-day north-east India. The piece is part of a vast collection of manuscripts, paintings, and textiles recovered from a sealed cave in Dunhuang.
These artifacts were discovered by archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943), who later donated the collection to the British Museum. The current conservation effort focuses on applying support fabric to the front of the embroidery to ensure the structural integrity of the ancient work.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 10: Stitching the support fabric
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