Chinese Lantern

This reverse painted glass Chinese lantern had been hanging in a public space for decades before it came into the conservation lab. Mimi Leveque, Objects Conservator, worked primarily on the structure and the glass panels, many of which were broken.

The beaded section on the bottom of the lantern had been strung on silk which was actively decaying with beads falling with any movement. The beads were also grimy from years of use in a public space so even their color was questionable. I counted the beads on the still intact strands, then removed the beads and washed them thoroughly. Then I strung each bead on a thick piece of thread to ensure even the inside of the beads were clean before restringing. I then re-created the original mount of the beads, and restrung the beads in the same pattern as they were originally. New beads were added only where necessary.

The original bead structure with beads removed in the foreground, and the new structure with the original beads in the background.