This huge dimension (6 m x 2m) painting Académie Hanlin (1744) was realized under the guidance of Jin Kun 金昆 (act. 1717-1749) on silk with ink and mainly mineral pigments. Musée Cernuschi, Paris.
This kind of painting’s role was to emphasise the Empire’s great victories : it was pasted on the huge walls of the Forbidden City , without any thought to its preservation afterwards. So it had been rolled without any caution and made its way to Europe. It had been mishandled while transported, so the damages were numerous : delamination, cracks and losses.
So every tiny piece had to be replaced in its original place and the fragile first lining replaced and the entire painting reinforced from the back. Then it has been retouched on the repaired places to increase lisibility.
Then in collaboration with the curatorial staff, a new mounting had to be created so to preserve this huge painting in its new storage.