Working with International Galleries and Collectors

In addition to serving individual collectors around the world, our company occasionally receives restoration requests from professional art galleries overseas. These projects often require communication not only with the gallery but also with the gallery’s own clients—collectors who have purchased works and wish to preserve them properly for future generations.

In this article, we would like to introduce a recent urgent restoration request we received from a German gallery that has used our services many times in the past.

Restoration Request from a Client in the United States

This request came from a collector in the United States who had recently purchased a hanging scroll through the gallery. The gallery contacted us with the following explanation:

I wanted to contact you to discuss a new remounting project for a client. He would like to acquired a beautiful painting and is very fond of the current mounting, particularly the soft colors and gentle shading, which he feels complement the painting perfectly. However, since the current mounting is old and the fabric is weak, we both agreed that a remounting would be wise to ensure its longevity. The client would like to retain the aesthetics of the current mounting as much as possible, especially in terms of color tones and overall atmosphere. Would you be able to suggest some options that would be close to the original?

The artwork in question featured a charmingly expressive figure of Hotei painted in ink.

While the artwork itself showed no major visible stains or damage, the mounting certainly exhibited signs of aging.

A Special Request Regarding the Deadline

The gallery also relayed another important question:

There was a question from the customer: While I informed him that the lead time for a remounting would be about 4 months, he asked about the possibility of completing the project by the end of April, since they would like to receive and install the painting in their home before an extended vacation in May. Since I know that you are very busy with other projects and that the process of remounting Japanese paintings is a very delicate one, I am just carefully forwarding this request to you, knowing that it may be impossible. However, if you see any chance, I would be happy to let him know.

Normally, we would have had to decline such a request.

But given:

• ・our long-standing relationship with this gallery
• ・their trust in our craftsmanship
• ・and the fact that the artwork itself was not severely damaged

we decided to rearrange our internal schedule and accept the challenge.

Consulting & Deciding the Mounting Specifications

Through the gallery, we held multiple rounds of consultations with the client under a very tight schedule. After several mockups and careful considerations, we finalized the following combination of fabrics and layout:

Restoration Process and Technical Details

The restoration proceeded in the following steps. Unexpected deterioration discovered mid-process required additional work, and our entire team worked together to complete everything within the extremely strict deadline.

1. Dismantling the old mounting
We carefully removed the aged fabrics and roller rods from the artwork, taking great care not to stress the painting.

2. Removing the old backing paper
We painstakingly lifted and removed the old backing paper adhered to the reverse side of the artwork.

3. First backing (hada-ura-uchi)
A fresh layer of Japanese paper was applied to reinforce the artwork.

4. Retouching (hosai)
Although not visible at first glance, deterioration became apparent once the old backing was removed.
As is sometimes the case with silk paintings, portions of the silk were fragile and crumbled during treatment. After backing, we carried out retouching to restore these fragile areas so that they would not distract from the overall appearance.

5. Remounting into a new scroll
Using the fabrics selected by the client, we completed the new mounting.

Completion of the Restoration

Despite the unexpected additional work required and the extremely tight schedule, we succeeded in completing the restoration by the promised deadline.

Upon receiving the finished photographs, the gallery sent us the following message:

Thank you very much for your message and for the wonderful news. The hanging scroll looks perfect in the picture!

I’m truly grateful for your exceptional work and the great care you’ve taken throughout the remounting process.

I sincerely appreciate the complimentary color retouching you carried out in the fragile areas—your attention to detail and your thoughtful handling of the piece are deeply valued. And I’m especially thankful for your concentrated effort to finish the project on such a tight schedule.

I’m very happy with the result. From my perspective, the new mounting brings an even more harmonious balance to the piece. It creates a smoother interplay between the delicate brushwork, the soft colors, and the intimate atmosphere of the scene. At the same time, the richer gold-toned fabric from option C subtly enhances the warmth and quiet elegance of the painting without overpowering it. It supports the mood of the work with a gentle sense of richness and depth.

Such generous words reaffirm the importance of our efforts. We believe that carefully and wholeheartedly completing each project is what builds the trust we value so highly.

At the Client’s Home

For international shipments, we typically use DHL. However, at the client’s request, we changed the carrier to FedEx for this project and arranged the shipment accordingly.

We later received confirmation from the gallery that the hanging scroll had arrived on schedule and that the client was extremely pleased with the result.

Here is the message we received from the gallery:

I wanted to let you know how pleased we are with your work and service. I’ve just received feedback from my customer, who has now installed the scroll in his home. He loves the piece and is very happy with the result of the remounting.

Another successful project completed together! I’m truly grateful for your help and cooperation, especially for your kind and accommodating approach in making this project happen within such a tight timeframe. Thank you very much!

It is always a pleasure to work with you, and I’m very much looking forward to our next collaboration.

Receiving such a high evaluation from the gallery is a great honor for us.
We believe that building trust comes from devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to each project, one by one. This project reaffirmed our commitment to continuing this approach with sincerity and dedication.

Our workshop has extensive experience handling not only domestic but also international restoration and remounting requests for hanging scrolls.

If you have a precious artwork that you would like to “restore to a displayable condition” or “preserve for future generations,” please feel free to contact us.
We would be delighted to assist you.