Vyazovikina K.A. Kravtsova N. Titova M.A. Relief with demon warriors of Mara (Myanmar): preliminary research and conservation Photo: Kudryavitsky A.F., Pronina G.V. 1. Mingalazedi Pagoda (1270–1300), Myanmar, Bagan
2 In 2021, the restoration of a collection of 13th-15th century ceramic reliefs from Burma (Myanmar) was completed at the Objects conservation workshop of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Fourteen broken reliefs came into the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in the early 1950s. The collection had been kept in the museum’s depositary for a long time, waiting for its time to come. The project to study and restore the entire collection, long-planned by the collection’s curator Kira Vyazovikina and conservator Marina Titova, began in 2006 with the relocation of the depositary and the expansion of the conservation workshop. (Il. 6–7). Twelve of the reliefs (Il. 2–5) decorated the Mingalazedi Pagoda (Il. 1), in Pagan, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Burma, dated to the last third of the 13th century. This group of objects is united by the cycle of scenes originating from Buddhist jatakas, canonical stories about reincarnations of the Buddha. According to the tradition, there were 550 of them Two reliefs depicting paired figures of demon warriors were inserted in the niches of the brick fences of various architectural ensembles. One of them (Il. 10) probably comes from the Shwegugyi Temple (1470s) in Pegu. (Il. 8, 8’) The origin of the second relief (Il. 9) is currently being clarified. We believe that this example dates back to the seventeenth century. The Shwegugyi Pagoda Temple was commissioned by king Dhammazedi (1472-1492) in 1472–1476. The famous Indian temple of Mahabodhi in the city of Bodh Gaya (India, Bihar), founded in the III century B.C. by King Ashoka, was used as an architectural model for this ensemble. Researchers have concluded that to decorate the temple fence originally about three hundred glazed tiles were created, most of which have now been lost. Today, there are no more than a hundred pieces left, about fifty of which are in state collections in different countries. The British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Berlin State Museum, the Los Angeles 2. Relief from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts before treatments 3. Relief from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts after treatments
3 Relief with demon warriors of Mara (Myanmar): preliminary research and conservation Museum of Art, and the national museums of Thailand and Myanmar have extensive collections of Burmese art and, above all, the objects of interest to us. Thus, the relief in the collection of our museum is of unquestionable value, the likes of which do not exist in many places in the world. The dedication of the Buddhist temple of Shwegugyi and the theme which unites the series of glazed reliefs date back to the culmination of Shakyamuni Buddha’s life. According to legend, the hermit Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. During a long meditation period, he was tempted by the demon Mara who sent hordes of unclean spirits and demons over the enlightened one. However, the Buddha withstood the test, as proof of which he called Prithvi, the goddess of the earth herself, as a witness. The tile is a rectangular plate (Il. 10), on which two figures with semi-nude anthropomorphic bodies and animal heads are depicted. The pair of demons are moving to the right, one looking at the back of the head of the other. The left leg of each demon is slightly raised, indicating the pair’s distinct stride. In their left hands, they are both holding bludgeon-like weapons. The demons’ right arms are bent at the elbow and pressed against their torsos. Their bodies are covered by loincloths draped in large, loosely-drawn folds. The clay reliefs are glazed: the bodies of the demons are grass-green, the loincloths are cherry red, and the background is a milky white glaze. The reliefs were made using the following technology: the figures were glued on a “cut out” clay base of a given size, then coated. Afterwards, the tiles were dried, glazed and burned. During the burning, some of the reliefs were deformed and deep cracks appeared. (Il. 11) 7. Finishing the treatments. Natezhda Kravtsova 4. Relief from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts before treatments 5. Relief from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts after treatments 6. 2006. Development of treatment methods. Marina Titova
4 Relief with demon warriors of Mara (Myanmar): preliminary research and conservation The object was originally conserved, presumably in the mid-20th century. Possibly it was during this period that the following changes were made: the upper left corner was filled in in plaster flush with the background of the relief and tinted to match, and the numerous large chips, cracks and losses of glaze on the front surface were filled with plaster and tinted to imitate the colours of the original glaze, without additional coating to protect against dust and dirt deposits. (Il. 12, 13) During the 2019–2020 treatments, the surface was thoroughly cleaned, revealing numerous plaster fillings. The plaster fillings of the upper left corner and the thin rods previously supporting the fillings were removed. (Il. 14) The old rods made from unprotected black metal were one of the reasons for the deterioration of the piece. (Илл 15) The corroded rods, installed during the previous restoration at the back of the relief in specially created indentations, were 9. Relief from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (17th c.) 8. The Shwegugyi Pagoda (1470s) in Pegu. Photo taken by Dr. Dumrong Leenanuruksa 10. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara 8. Fragment of wall with niches for installation of the reliefs. Shwegugyi pagoda (1470s) 11. Fragment. Relief with the image of Mara Warriors as bulls from the collection of the Relief from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Crack formed during burning
5 Relief with demon warriors of Mara (Myanmar): preliminary research and conservation removed (Илл 16) and replaced by titanium rods. The new rods were embedded in an adhesive paste (Paraloid B-72 (20%), white chamotte). (Il. 17) After removing the plaster from the surface, the glaze and ceramic base were consolidated. (Il. 17) The treatments were carried out by Nadezhda Kravtsova and Oleg Sinitsyn. (Il. 18) The performed treatments allow further research and to exhibit the unique collection of medieval Burmese ceramics at the museum after its renovation. 16. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. During treatments 13. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. Before treatments 14. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. During treatments 12. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. Before treatments 15. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. During treatments
6 Relief with demon warriors of Mara (Myanmar): preliminary research and conservation 17. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. After treatments 17. Relief depicting two demon warriors of Mara. After treatments 19. Kira Vyazovikina, Senior Researcher at the Department of the Ancient East, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Curator of South, South-East and East Asian Art; Oleg Sinitsyn, conservator of stone and plaster; Nadezhda Kravtsova, conservator of ceramics
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