China, UK team up to preserve Mogao art

The murals and wall paintings inside the caves of Dunhuang, Gansu province, have been the subject of many studies, from art history to architecture, religion, culture and beyond.

Due to the fragile nature of the site, efforts between the Dunhuang Academy and British institutions continue to play a pivotal role in the conservation of the caves. One such collaboration between Nottingham Trent University and the academy involves using noninvasive analysis and automated remote imaging of the murals.

The UK university’s Imaging and Sensing for Archaeology, Art History and Conservation Lab has been researching advanced optical instruments with heritage sites in mind.

The collaboration was initiated in 2011 by Haida Liang, a professor who heads the lab, following a workshop set up by the Research Council UK.

A UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council project led to the development of a portable remote multispectral and hyperspectral imaging system that allows high-resolution color and spectral imaging of wall paintings, in both visible and near-infrared light, to be conducted from ground level.

The project enabled a closer look at the wall paintings of Cave 465, and the scientific analysis of the painting materials and techniques has helped to date the cave.

“This noninvasive and in situ analysis of the large-scale murals is even possible in unreachable locations such as the high ceilings of the caves,” says Liang. “Cave 465 is very unique in its Tibetan Buddhist style and not normally open to the public. Discussions on when the cave was constructed has been heavily debated.”

By using the technology, researchers can study painting techniques, including imaging underdrawings and revealing faded writings, as well as identifying pigments.

“The history of the Dunhuang area is very complex and depending on the cultural influence and trade routes that were open at the time, there would have been different access points for the pigments and materials used. So this study will give us some clues about the periods in which they were painted,” Liang says.

Other British institutions have also partnered with the Dunhuang Academy in preserving the caves. The Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts has been assisting conservation work in China to revive the treasures of the Mogao Caves.

This included an exchange program where five artists from the school were sent to Dunhuang to share their expertise in the use of pigments with the research team there, with the aim of restoring and replicating the murals.

In August, the school participated in the From London to Dunhuang: Traditional Skills on the Silk Road 2019 International Forum held in Dunhuang.

The team from the school was given unprecedented access to the caves, which allowed researchers to climb scaffolding to get a closer look at the details of the brushwork as well as the effects of time, chemical changes and general deterioration.