Makiko Tsunoda

Thesis title:

A study of 18th to 19th-century Japanese Nanga Paintings through art historical and material analysis, with a focus on the Nanpin School

This PhD project will compare, through art historical studies and scientific analysis of the materials and media, Japanese Nanga paintings with the Chinese paintingsthat influenced Nanga paintings. There are approx. 20 Nanga paintings at the British Museum and approx. 20 Nanga paintings at the Ashmolean Museum, the largest Japanese collections in the UK. The Curator of Japanese Art at the Ashmolean Museum and the Curators of Japanese Art at the British Museum have both given permission to access the Japanese Nanga paintings in their collections and to carry out the research needed for this PhD. In addition, the Conservation Scientist at the British Museum has also agreed to conduct scientific analysis of Japanese and Chinese painting collections at the British Museum. This is an interdisciplinary project, drawing together strands from art history, conservation science, and museum collections to create an innovative and accessible research project from key Japanese art collections held by UK national museums of international reputation.

The project will be interdisciplinary, involving art history, technical art history informed by scientific analysis; material analysis through the angle of paper conservation; and scientific analysis of potential light-induced damage to inform display conditions of exhibitions, in particular natural dyes are fugitive under UV light. Extensive research has been carried out on Western painting materials and media, but little research has been carried out in East Asian paintings and little recent research has been conducted on materials transmission processes from Chinese paintings to Japanese paintings, in particular paper-based materials. Thus, this project would provide essential evidence for unresolved art history research questions such as trading routes; transmission process of painting knowledge and techniques; forgeries of paintings; and safe display environments for light-sensitive dyes for long-term preservation purposes.

Research Area

Cultural and Museum Studies

Publications

Tsunoda, M. (2019). A study of Japanese Nanga Painting collections at the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum, and its potential contribution to Japanese painting resources. [conference paper] In: conference of European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists. Sofia, Bulgaria.

Tsunoda, M. (2018). Conservation method for fugitive iron-gall corroded material using Tengu natural shade 3.5g/m²- Conservation research on 16 - 17^thcentury Dutch illuminated manuscript (MS 46) of the Fitzwilliam Museum. [poster] In:conference of The Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property in Japan. Kochi, Japan.

Tsunoda, M (2012). Conservation of Medieval Manuscripts & Rare Books, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. [poster] In: ICON conference. Glasgow, UK.

Tsunoda, M. (2012). Conservation of Rare Books.[Blog] Art Conservation in Action. Available at: https://hamiltonkerrinstitute.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/conservation-of-rare-books [Accessed 24 December 2019].

Tsunoda, M. (2011). Paper and Book Conservation at Conservation Treatment Division, California, United States. [online] The Zibby Garnett Travelling Fellowship. Available at: http://www.zibbygarnett.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2011-M-Tsunoda-Rpt.pdf [Accessed 2 September 2018]

Tsunoda, M. (2011). Conservation of Album of Drawings, Anonymous, Netherlandish (?), WA1994.44, The Ashmolean Museum. [poster]

Conferences

Tsunoda, M (2012). Conservation of Medieval Manuscripts & Rare Books, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. [poster] In: ICON conference. Glasgow, UK.

Memberships

Member, Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property (Japan), 2012 – now

Member, Institute of Conservation (UK), 2008 – now

Award

Midland4Cities AHRC Doctral Studentship Award, 2019; support for my PhD in History at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK (£19,000)
The Sumitomo Foundation, 2011; support for a 6 month ICON internship (medieval manuscriptsand rare books) at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK
The Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant from The Japan Science Society, 2012; support for a 6 month internship at Art Conservation Lab, Tokyo, Japan (yen 330,000 or £2,640)
Zibby Garnett Travelling Fellowship, 2011; support for a 3 month internship at the Conservation Treatment Division, University of California, Berkeley, USA (£2,800)
AHRC Block Grant Partnership Awards, 2010; support for my MA in Paper Conservation course at Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK (£10,000)
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, 2010; support for my MA in Paper Conservation course at Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK (£10,000)