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Joanna Kaźmierska, Warsaw University, PolandAbstract
This paper presents a conservation case study that became a site of methodological dialogue between Japanese and European conservation ethics and practice. The object at the centre of the project is a Japanese lacquered Shibayama screen from the collection of the National Museum in Poznań (Poland), created in Japan using traditional techniques yet originally designed for a Western client and shaped by European aesthetic expectations. From its inception, the object embodies cultural hybridity, making it a particularly compelling subject for cross-cultural conservation reflection. The conservation process confronted a set of seemingly conflicting expectations. In order to respect the object’s material and cultural integrity, the treatment prioritised traditional Japanese materials and techniques and a minimal-intervention approach. At the same time, the curatorial requirements of the museum emphasised the need to restore the work’s aesthetic legibility so that viewers could imagine its possible original appearance. Additionally, the museum conservator stressed the importance of maintaining future access to the technological layers of the object for research purposes. The final conservation strategy became a negotiated solution integrating both Eastern and Western approaches. The treatment included reinforcement using urushi-gatame, stabilisation of loose lacquer layers, and the reconstruction of the missing relief. To preserve research accessibility and reversibility, the reconstructed elements were mounted using neodymium magnets, allowing easy disassembly and continued study of the layered structure. This case study reflects on how conservation practice can become a space of dialogue, where decisions emerge through balancing material authenticity, aesthetic readability, and future research needs.
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