Restoration of Thangka Paintings of Erdene zuu Museum

In this study, the survey of registration data of thangka paintings from the Erdene Zuu Museum of Kharkhorinsoum, UvurkhangaiAimag restored at the National Center for Cultural Heritage between 1988 and 2020 has been carried out and the results are analyzed to provide quantitative evidence of thangka paintings restored during specific years, identify which conservators carried out the restorations, and analyze the methods and materials they used; and determine whether those restoration methodologies and techniques remain appropriate up to the present time. A total of 37 thangka paintings were restored between 1988 and 2020,of these 12 paintings had sufficient documentation for analyses of the types of damage at the time they were submitted for restoration. The damages of these paintings were classified into five main categories comprising 30 individual types. Based on the results of the damage analysis, the five main damage typecategories were ranked from most to least frequent, and the causes of these damages were identified. The analysis of damages of 24 thangka paintings from 37 restored thangka paintingssuitable for post-restoration damage survey revealedthe following common types of damage to the painting, in particular, color alteration of pigments onfive paintings, paint flaking onfour paintings, and detaching adhesive in a patched area onone painting. This study is of great importance for preservation and conservation of thangka paintingsbecause it clarifies the damage types and the restoration methodologies applied. In the future, this will become part of the fundamental research on the conservation and protection of tangible cultural heritage.