The State Hermitage Conservators visit the Pushkin State Museum

In mid-June 2022, the restoration workshop of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts was visited by art conservators from the State Hermitage Museum to assist in the restoration of archaeological objects from East Turkestan and Gandhara. The museum has a large collection of loess sculpture from Buddhist monasteries in East Turkestan (3rd-7th centuries) and Gandhara in need of conservation treatments.  

The unique technique of restoring loess sculptures using polyethylene glycol (PEG), which was developed in the Hermitage, is of great value such objects and should become an important component in future treatments.

Conservators from the Hermitage Laboratory of Scientific Restoration of Monumental Painting E.P. Stepanova, O.S. Viktorova and R.A. Kazimirova, together with the conservators from the Grabar Restoration Centre and the State Research Institute for Restoration, took part in the conservation council, which determined the future plan of treatments.

The Hermitage conservators consulted the conservators from the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts on methods for restoring loess sculpture and conducted emergency treatments on one of the objects.

The second stage of the project will be a study of sculptures from Buddhist monasteries in Eastern Turkestan (3rd-7th centuries) and Gandhara by K.A. Vyazovikina, curator of the Ancient Oriental Art Department, together with conservators from the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.