Conservation
Most of the materials we are responsible for are over a thousand years old. The ‘Library Cave’, Mogao Cave 17, contained scrolls and other written materials from the 5th to the 11th century CE. Our collections also hold items from archaeological excavations in other sites along the Eastern Silk Roads, with wider dates of origin.
The collections also contain items made in the early twentieth century. These are a record of how the collection items were excavated and from where, such as photographs, maps, written notes, and even herbarium specimens.
Organic materials are vulnerable to all kinds of forces: atmospheric changes, pests and other animals, water, fire, and human handling. Even the most careful human handling causes wear and tear, which harms the item over time. This also includes the well-meant attempts to repair damaged documents by non-experts.
In the past, people aimed to ‘restore’ the item to what was perceived to be its original form, or tried to strengthen an item through the permanent addition or substitution of extra materials. These could have unexpected long-term consequences, leaving items more vulnerable than before and destroying their original features.
Modern techniques of conservation aim not to restore an item to its previous form, but to make the item as it currently exists more stable, physically and chemically. We cannot prevent items from gradually deteriorating with time – they are, after all, organic material – but we can slow the rate at which they deteriorate. Damage on an item can also reveal a great deal about its individual history and identity. Many conservators today are interested in making visible and reversible repairs only where necessary, delaying the natural decay of the object.
Digitisation is also part of conservation: once items have been digitised, they can be easily consulted by a wider audience thus reducing the risks presented by direct handling.
