Conservation Challenges for Thangkas in the Buddha Room of the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin dian), Palace Museum, Beijing

ABSTRACT

Thirty-eight thangkas have been displayed in the Buddha Room in the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin dian) of the Palace Museum, Beijing, for more than 270 years. A huge and systematic project is presented including the conservation of thangkas, the environmental control of the historic buildings, as well as research into possibilities for display and storage. The methods and materials used to conserve the thangkas as well as decisions regarding their display are presented alongside considerations of how to control the environment without damaging the historic buildings.

KEYWORDS:

• Thangkas
• conservation
• Hall of Mental Cultivation
• Palace Museum
• historic buildings

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Mental Cultivation Hall Special Foundation.