Sanxingdui restorer: more than repair
China News Weekly reporter/Li Xiangmao
Published in the 989th issue of China News Weekly on March 29, 2020
At the excavation site of Pit 3, the restorationist Guo Hanzhong of Sanxingdui Museum is preparing for the extraction of Dakouzun.
Why should a restoration engineer personally participate in the extraction of cultural relics?
"Mature restoration engineers will understand many principles related to the protection of cultural relics. These principles include not only how to repair cultural relics, but also how to extract cultural relics, how to ensure the safety of the extracted cultural relics during the extraction process, and how to avoid other cultural relics as much as possible. "Guo Hanzhong said.
More than repair
Guo Hanzhong’s master Yang Xiaowu is a well-known master of cultural relic restoration in China. He once presided over the restoration of a series of bronze sculptures such as Sanxingdui No. 1 and No. 2 bronze sacred trees, bronze statues of large standing figures, and longitudinal bronze masks.
"China News Weekly" met the 74-year-old "sweeper monk" in the studio of the Sanxingdui Museum Cultural Relics Restoration Center.
He told China News Weekly that cultural relics restoration engineers do not only perform restorations, but also go to the scene to extract cultural relics.
The cultural relics are stacked layer by layer in the pit. Because of the different types of artifacts, the lower and upper cultural relics may be entangled, so be careful when extracting them.
As a cultural relics restoration staff, participating in the cultural relics extraction process can better understand the original appearance of the cultural relics when they were unearthed, and more accurately grasp the types and specifications of the cultural relics, so that they can be aware of the restoration in the future.
When extracting cultural relics on site, temporary reinforcements are required first, and then the whole is extracted.
Transfer to the restoration laboratory to observe the surface of the cultural relics and attachments to understand the remaining information.
After the observation, the cultural preservation personnel also need to conduct sampling and testing, register the texture, composition, corrosion and oxidation degree, preservation status of the cultural relics before restoration, record the original condition of the cultural relics when they are unearthed, and prepare for subsequent restoration.
When cleaning the inside of containers such as Lei and Zun, "secondary archaeology" must be carried out. Other cultural relics such as bronze and gold objects may also be found in the soil inside the container.
The repairer needs to understand the artifacts, such as the distortion and deformation of the bronze, the size, and the missing parts.
Yang Xiaowu told China News Weekly that the early restoration of cultural relics was to compare and splice them according to the shape, thickness, texture, and degree of oxidation of the cultural relics, and then proceed to the next step-pre-assembly to verify the previous splicing position and method. Whether there is a problem, the entire shape of the sacred tree can be seen after pre-closing, which provides a preliminary basis for restoration.
He recalled that the restoration of cultural relics in Sanxingdui in the early years began with eye-shaped wares, to bronze standing figures, masks, statues, and lilies, and finally to bronze sacred trees, following the characteristics of small to large, from simple to complex.
The reason for choosing the final restoration of the bronze sacred tree is that other cultural relics can be placed on the indoor turntable for restoration. It is clear at a glance where there is a skew, which part needs to be adjusted, and whether the height is aligned.
The bronze sacred tree is so large that it can only be repaired outdoors, and the situation is more complicated.
In this process, it is very important to use a combination of multiple repair methods, such as bonding, welding, riveting, etc.
Yang Xiaowu said that it is impossible for a cultural relic to be restored with only one technique, and a variety of restoration methods should be used flexibly.
When the bronze head was repaired, some heads and golden masks were oxidized and corroded by harmful substances in the pit.
These bronze heads grew out of patina, which swelled up the face of the head, and bulged out the golden mask that was originally attached to the head, causing the head and the golden mask to separate.
This requires removing the golden mask first, cleaning up the rust and disease on the bronze head face, and then restoring the golden mask.
In Yang Xiaowu's description, this cleaning process is very similar to beautifying cultural relics.
Speaking of the difference in thickness between different parts of the gold mask newly unearthed in Pit 5, Yang Xiaowu explained to China News Weekly that this was caused by the crafting process of the metal.
A piece of gold starts from the nose and then spreads around. The first is thicker to the nose, the second is to the cheeks, the third is to the cheekbones, the fourth is to the ears, and the fifth is It is the edge behind the ear.
Such a process will result in the thickest nose in the center, and thinner around the edges.
As he explained, he gestured with his hands from his nose, nose to cheeks, and ears.
Yang Xiaowu also mentioned that only by having a certain understanding of the manufacturing process of ancient cultural relics and understanding its principles can the cultural relics be restored.
For example, when the ancient Shu ancestors cast the sacred tree, they were also a combination of multiple casting methods.
The artifacts on the sacred tree, such as flowers and fruits, the sun, etc., are all cast on the sacred branch after the second casting. Some parts of the sacred tree are riveted and cast on the sacred tree, that is, holes are punched in the sacred branch directly. Pour copper water into the hole, and then riveted the parts to the sacred tree.
Understanding these manufacturing processes is to use as close as possible to the craftsmanship of the sacred tree casting.
During the restoration of the cultural relics, Yang Xiaowu also saw some riveting holes and traces of riveting in the parts that needed to be riveted.
The restorer needs to repair on the basis of these original traces in order to restore the original appearance in the details.
Yang Xiaowu told China News Weekly that the restoration of the sacred tree must first be assembled with different parts, and then pre-assembled, and finally it can be fixed and formed.
The pre-assembly is fixed in the form of binding, just like the dinosaur skeleton seen in the museum, there is a support frame inside, and the dinosaur skeleton on display is tied to the support frame.
The same is true for the pre-assembly of the bronze sacred tree. After the various parts of the sacred tree are assembled, it is necessary to wrap the branches with a tape, or use a support to support the entire sacred tree.
In this way, the restoration staff can make partial and detailed adjustments to the sacred tree three-dimensionally.
It can be said that the pre-closing work is the basis of the final qualitative restoration.
After these are completed, it is necessary to determine the objectives and principles of the protection and restoration work, and write a protection and restoration plan, which places can be bonded, which parts are suitable for welding, and which parts are missing, all need to be written in the plan in detail.
In addition to the step-by-step restoration of the original appearance, Yang Xiaowu's original and fixed protection of the bronze sacred tree also prevented this rare treasure from being damaged twice.
In 2008, the Wenchuan earthquake affected Sanxingdui, but the No. 1 and No. 2 sacred trees were not damaged by the seismic waves. Among them, Yang Xiaowu's design of fixing with silk threads after restoration played an important role.
Yang Xiaowu told China News Weekly that the half-dragon-shaped parts of the sacred tree were gone, resulting in an imbalance between the counterweights on both sides of the main pole. When placed in the exhibition hall normally, the sacred tree would naturally tilt to one side.
In order to prevent earthquakes, he tied a fishing line to the bronze sacred tree during the restoration and fixed it in the protective cover of the exhibition hall.
The surveillance video of the exhibition hall during the earthquake showed that it was precisely because of Yang Xiaowu's innovation that the No. 1 sacred tree with a total height of 3.95 meters was only tossed up and down when the vertical waves of the earthquake came, and did not sway from side to side, so it was not damaged.
Technology Elements
In the Guo Hanzhong restoration studio of the Sanxingdui Museum, there is a bronze part with a cow head pattern quietly placed on a tray. The degree of exquisiteness is almost real.
Guo Hanzhong told China News Weekly that this is an accessory of a round statue he is repairing. It was carved out by himself and has just been chemically treated.
As the sixth generation of domestic cultural relics restoration, compared with the master Yang Xiaowu's generation, the cultural relic restoration is more of inheritance and craftsmanship, while Guo Hanzhong's cultural relic restoration concept has more scientific and technological elements.
"Minimum intervention, maximum protection, restore the essence." This is Guo Hanzhong's summary of his cultural relic restoration philosophy.
In his view, the first important point of restoration is to respect the ancient relics. If there is information on the cultural relics, the restoration staff will try their best to restore them. If there is a lack of information, the researchers must do their best to study.
This is also the principle of authenticity in the restoration of cultural relics, that is, to protect the restored cultural relics must respect the authenticity of history, and not subjectively imagine changing the original appearance of the cultural relics.
Speaking of the experience of extracting Dakouzun in this excavation, Guo Hanzhong told China News Weekly that not all restoration engineers can participate in the extraction of cultural relics, because there is only one ancient relic, which can only succeed, not fail, and must be profound. Accumulation of experience can be foolproof.
Guo Hanzhong said that since the original unearthed cultural relics cannot be used to open the mold, in this extraction, first use a 3D scanner to scan the cultural relics and collect surrounding data, and then 3D print based on the prototype of the cultural relics in the pit, and print a 1:1 Resin model.
Then use this model to open the mold to make a silicone protective film.
Finally, the silicone protective film was put on the cultural relics.
After the silicone protective sleeve is fully attached to the big mouth, a thick gypsum protective layer will be poured on the outside and placed in a special box to integrate the utensils and the box. Finally, the whole is extracted and extracted. pit.
Since Dakouzun’s own weight and the total weight of the attached soil exceeded 200 kg, the archaeological team used the multi-functional excavation operating system installed in the archaeological excavation cabin to descend "without touching the ground" to a pit more than 1 meter deep to extract cultural relics.
After the cultural relics landed in the pit, the cultural preservation staff divided the box and the wrapped plaster into four pieces, removed them separately, and cleaned the surface of the cultural relics, and preserved all the cultural relics through scientific and technological means such as Raman spectroscopy, X-ray, and metallographic analysis. Original information.
With the increasing technological content of archaeology, the gateway to the restoration of cultural relics has also moved forward to the stage of excavation and extraction.
Guo Hanzhong particularly emphasized that the information collection and the restoration of cultural relics during excavation can no longer be viewed in a single and separate manner. The two are a complex.
It is also necessary to restore the information collected during the initial excavation, such as metal composition, flaw detection process, color analysis, and oxidation degree. This is a multi-disciplinary and holistic profession.
In addition, a word that appears frequently in Guo Hanzhong's mouth is "reversible".
He believes that restoration personnel should try to leave the cultural relics intact to future generations to study, and try to keep all the trace information.
Reversible methods and reversible materials should be used for repair work.
In his philosophy, the ideal state of restoration should be that the restoration staff only restore and strengthen the cultural relics, and when future generations need to disassemble and study, the information about the artifacts themselves is still there when they are unearthed.
Maybe in time, science and technology will become more advanced, and later people will be able to better repair them according to the cultural relics and information left by the repair personnel.
The restoration of cultural relics is a way of responding to history, and the result of restoration of cultural relics is also the trace left by Guo Hanzhong to history.
Talent dilemma
In recent years, with the promotion of phenomenal events such as "I repaired cultural relics in the Forbidden City", "National Treasures" and the Sanxingdui excavation, the domestic cultural and cultural boom has reached a peak.
However, behind the camera lens, the systemic problems facing the cultivation, recruitment and promotion of cultural relics restoration talents are rarely known.
Xie Zhenbin, director of the Cultural Relics Protection Center of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, told China News Weekly that many people believe that restoration is the work of technicians. Take the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology as an example. Higher-level professional titles and expert titles are very difficult, which leads many people to be more willing to do research and reluctance to do repairs.
Xie Zhenbin said that at present, many domestic archaeological institutions usually require a master’s degree or above when recruiting. This threshold prevents many outstanding cultural relics restoration talents. The restoration talents introduced from cultural relics restoration vocational schools are also due to Insufficient academic qualifications can not enter the establishment according to regulations.
"A cultural relics restoration engineer may still be a labor contract worker for decades and cannot enjoy the corresponding benefits."
On the other hand, the restoration of cultural relics has increasingly become a highly comprehensive professional, interdisciplinary.
The restoration staff not only need to repair the cultural relics, but also know why they need to be restored in this way.
A lot of work requires the use of advanced equipment such as metallographic microscopes to observe and analyze the morphology of cermets, and to study the formation, smelting, casting and processing technology of bronze alloys.
These tasks require higher disciplinary background and research capabilities of cultural relics restoration talents, and traditional restoration talents are more difficult.
Xie Zhenbin said that the current training of cultural relics restoration talents is very problematic. Only a few universities such as Peking University and Northwest University have opened cultural relics protection majors at the undergraduate level, and most of the others are colleges and vocational schools offering this major.
In addition, how to better integrate school education and the teacher-accreditation system?
How are traditional crafts and technology and cultural preservation compatible?
These are also problems to be solved.
Yang Xiaowu told China News Weekly that a few years ago, he had opened a cultural relic restoration course at Sichuan Vocational College of Art, with a class of about 100 people. However, because there were only college diplomas, many graduates had difficulty finding a job, and their remuneration after work was also difficult. Relatively low.
Yang Xiaowu still believes that the apprentices brought out by Guo Hanzhong’s mentoring system are more solid in knowledge and accumulation, because there are very few cultural relics in colleges that students can practice, and the master can quickly answer any problems encountered by the mentoring system. , And can explain more personalized, and the things in the class are more stylized.
"To engage in cultural relic restoration, if you only study in school, it is not comprehensive. Sculpture, abrasive tools, forging, sheet metal, welding, carving, fine arts, forceful changes and shape correction, as well as restoration concepts. Waiting for you to learn so Multi-disciplinary, the beard is white." Guo Hanzhong said that the cultural relics themselves vary in types and conditions, and there are many individual problems. Therefore, you must sum up your own experience and master the principles in order to get through.
Due to the heavy restoration work on weekdays, Guo Hanzhong's apprentices are mainly the staff of the museum's cultural relics restoration department, as well as talents who cooperate with other units through the project and communicate.
Over the past ten years, Guo Hanzhong has led a dozen apprentices.
He said that in the era of Yang Xiaowu, inheritance was more important. People who are not in this circle would find it difficult to enter this door. Many technologies are now open, and there is a shortage of talents for restoration of Chinese cultural relics, and there are many exquisite cultural relics to the public. I don't even know, let alone see, these cultural relics, the repairers now can't finish repairing them in a few lifetimes.
China News Weekly, Issue 11, 2021
Statement: The publication of the "China News Weekly" manuscript is authorized in writing