Case Study
Kurukulle portrait thangka
Qianlong period, Qing dynasty
The paint used in this thangka is made from mixture of minerals and glue. The stickiness was gradually weakened or even lost under ageing and other environmental factors, and resulted in the fallen of paint loss. Conservators carried out scientific analysis on the fallen-off sample, to determine the chemical composition of the paint.
Microscopic observation of the painting region with fallen-off paint
Fallen-off paint of green colour
Analysis of green paint by Raman spectroscopy