|
ANNOUNCEMENT:
VIETNAM
|
-
Vietnam
restores ancient Buddhist mummies (iol.co.za)
"Vietnamese scientists ...
completed the restoration of two mummies from the 17th century which
depict Buddhist monks in a position of meditation. The figures at Dau
pagoda in Gia Phuc village, 25km south of Hanoi, are embalmed Zen
Buddhists Vu Khac Minh and Vu Khac Truong. The pair died aged around 50
and 40, respectively, in the 17th century. Using a sticky plant extract,
sawdust, soil from termite hills and muslin netting, a team that
includes two sculptors spent more than six months to restore the bodies.
They also placed the mummies into glass boxes filled with nitrogen to
avoid damage by oxygen. "The statues now
can last for hundreds of years," said Nguyen Lan Cuong, associate
professor of ethnology and head of the restoration project. He was
speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to return the mummies to Dau
pagoda. About 400 villagers turned up to show their respect.... Cuong
said the two bodies had been damaged by Vietnam's tropical climate.
Truong's body had been restored previously after flood damage in 1893.
"
|