We are often asked “Is my kakejiku worth restoring?” from our clients. It is the issue raised when our clients are thinking whether to have their scroll restored or not.
The real question is how valuable is your painting/hanging scroll to you? To our clients, we often response asf : “With artwork, value takes many forms. When deciding on whether to restore or not, we think emotional/sentimental value is more important than the monetary value associated with the price paid for the art.”

For example, in case the artwork is a family heirloom or a gift from someone special, people would pay for the cost of restoration even if it’s quite expensive. Some clients instruct us NOT to use cheap fabrics (what we usually tell our clients, very basic grade-fabric) for their precious hanging scrolls. Some people do not understand the value of the art at all, even it is rare and has a high market value. These people would not spend a single penny for restoration. Some people spend more money on restoration than the price they paid for the artwork. Remounting restores a hanging scroll which was once beautiful so that clients can continue to admire it for years to come. People who find value in this think that good quality restoration will give their artwork guaranteed added value.

“How do I know if my artwork is genuine?” Sorry, appraising artworks is not our area of expertise. We can help you with reading the writing on the painting and do some research about the artist, then give you our opinion. But, we cannot say for certain if your artwork is genuine. So, we recommend you consult appraisers or specialists who might give you a more accurate assessment.

Regarding the cost of restoration, there is one more important thing we would like to tell you. Generally, we do not take the value of the artwork into consideration. Restoration cost is calculated as time + labor + experience required for the treatment of the hanging scroll (of course, plus mount fabrics too). So, it gets expensive when the damage of the painting is severe, regardless of its monetary value. In other words, there is no correlation between restoration cost and the monetary value. The cost is based on the premise that our goal is to achieve the best quality restoration for every job we do.

In conclusion, the most important thing when deciding on restoration is how much the painting/hanging scroll means to you. It’s better to follow your heart and intuition.

If our restoration cost excesses your price range, we can always advise on any options or possible strategies that may fit within your budget. Please feel free to get in touch for any concerns or questions.

Hope this article will help you when considering restoration. Thank you for reading this post.

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