Jacki Elgar, Pamela and Peter Voss Head of Asian Conservation; and Philip Meredith, Hiashiyama Kaii Conservator of Japanese Paintings, describe the elaborate process of dismantling and reassembling the scroll and creating a new mounting for Hanabusa Itchō’s rare masterpiece, Death of Buddha (1713)—one of the most important Buddhist paintings of its time.
Through January 2017, MFA visitors watched and interacted with conservators in “Conservation in Action: Preserving Nirvana” as the Museum’s Asian Conservation Studio worked in partnership with colleagues from the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art to publicly restore the painting, an auspicious work that brings good karma to all.