Current Projects
Japanese Scroll Conservation Project
The Chester Beatty Library is delighted to announce a grant from The Sumitomo Foundation, Tokyo, to conserve one of the most important Japanese hand scrolls in the Library’s collections – an early 17th-century version of The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter in a set of two picture scrolls. The conservation of these magnificent scrolls will be carried out by Restorient, a conservation studio based in the Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden, The Netherlands, specialising in Japanese works of art on paper and silk. The studio is modelled on those in Japan and much of the work is carried out at low level benches on a Japanese tatami mat floor. The conservators are highly qualified and have had many years of training, working exclusively within the long and rich tradition of Japanese mounting.
As this remarkable project progresses, it will be possible to follow it online here.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the oldest Japanese work of fiction in prose, written in the early Heian era (9th-10th century). It is well known in the history of Japanese literature for its significant influence on later works such as The Tale of Genji. The Chester Beatty Bamboo Cutter is believed to be the earliest extant example and is recognised as one of the finest of its kind.
We are very grateful to The Sumitomo Foundation for their generous support of this project.