Paper conservation
A large proportion of manuscripts from the Eastern Silk Roads are paper-based. Sometimes the paper was brought from Central China, sometimes made locally: we know that the Silk Roads were crucial in the spread of paper-making techniques. Paper is made from plant fibres, including cotton, hemp, linen and, in the case of Asian paper, rice, bamboo and mulberry bark.
Modern commercial paper, made from wood pulp, can become increasingly brittle and vulnerable with age. Paper made from traditional fibres, as found in the IDP collection, tends to survive longer and in better condition, even when it has suffered from mechanical damage such as tears and losses.
Paper conservators working with IDP are actively involved in research to discover and develop techniques to delay the decay of paper items.
During the 2022 conference held at the British Library, conservators gave two presentations to provide an insight into their process. They talked about the high-level planning and decision-making that goes into running a significant conservation project, and about the individual challenges and details of specific items.
Videos from ‘The Lotus Sutra: the Teachings, Transmission and Material Culture of a Sacred Buddhist Text’
The Lotus Sutra Project at the British Library 2017–2022: A Conservators’ Perspective.
Speakers: Marie Kaladgew, Paulina Kralka & Marya Muzart
Conservation Case Studies from the Lotus Sutra Project at the British Library 2017–2022.
Speakers: Tania Estrada-Valadez, Marie Kaladgew, Paulina Kralka & Marya Muzart
