Restoration and storage of Buddhist painting from the Khara-Khoto collections of XII-XIV centuries
The paper is devoted to the conservation and early stages of maintenance and storage of the unique collection of Buddhist painting that was gathered by P. K. Kozlov in Mongolia in 1907-1909, 1926 and now belongs to the State Hermitage museum. History of its primary conservation is reconstructed using previously unexplored archival data. Of special interest are conditions of maintenance and actions taken to protect the monuments before they were given to the Hermitage. The article also analyses reasons why damage was caused to them. All this information is essential for figuring out modern methods for their restoration that is a job of the Laboratory of scientific restoration of eastern painting of the Hermitage. The research goes beyond local museum practices as it helps to define general problems in restoration of Buddhist painting.