Scroll Mounting

Mounting flattens and thickens a painting or a calligraphy. One peculiar character of ink painting is that its tones look rich while the paint is still wet, but tries flat. Mounting restores its tonal strength by pasting a plain sheet of rice paper from behind, forcing sunken pigment back. The supported artwork is then framed with figured damask silk or brocade and mounted on a paper backing strong enough to support the artwork yet flexible enough to be rolled for storage.

• Studio
• Tools

1. Making paste
2. Supporting an artwork
3. Trimming a supported work
4. Preparing silk
5. Framing with silk
6. Hanging bar sleeves
7. Backing
8. Waxing
9. Mounting hanging bars
10. Hanging cord

What discusses here are basic techniques of how a traditional wall scroll in East Asia are made by hand. The pace of scroll mounting is slow, which takes from several weeks to several months. Always work with caution to avoid irretrievable mistakes.