January 26th marks a special day at National Museum Cardiff as it is the opening day of a very unique and exclusive exhibition.
From Steep Hillsides: Ancient Rock Carvings from Dazu, China is a collection of rare Chinese religious sculptures from the World Heritage site in Dazu.
The very earliest sculpture at the sites date from the mid 7th century and these beautiful carvings depict and were influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Daoist beliefs.
The exhibition will contain sculpture mostly from the 10th to the 13th century. Eclectically bringing these religions together, they create a highly original manifestation of spiritual harmony and give life to the exceptional Chinese history of this particular period.
Off limits to visitors for many years, the carvings were only opened to Chinese travellers in 1961 and foreign visitors in 1980. The result is that they remain in excellent condition despite their creation centuries ago.
While many of the larger carvings still remain embedded in the cliffs and mountain sides of Dazu, this is the first time the more manageable sculptures have left Chinese shores and travelled West.
National Museum Cardiff will be the only museum outside of China to host this extraordinary exhibition, providing a fascinating insight into ancient rock art and Chinese culture to all those who come and visit.
See more Dazu images on Flickr, keep up to date with Dazu on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @museum_cardiff #dazuwales
One of the most popular displays at the National Roman Legion Museum is a stone coffin that contains the skeleton of a Roman man. The coffin also contains the remains of grave goods that he would need for their next life, including the base of a shale bowl and fragments of a glass perfume or ointment bottle.
Like the base it was broken by the digger. Here it is with all the fragments lined up ready to be joined. Some areas are missing, but the gaps will allow people to see inside the coffin when it is put back on display.
Step 18
The top of the lid looks so uneven and eroded because acid rain soaked into the soil has dissolved the limestone. This process eventually leads to the formation of limestone caves in nature. Solution holes, the start of mini 'caves', can be seen in the lid.
Step 19
Adhesive alone may not be strong enough to keep the heavy fragments of stone together.
To help strengthen the bond, metal rods will be inserted across the join. Holes have to be drilled into the broken edges of the stone. This is a tense moment as any mistakes could cause further damage.
The stone could split or flake; we just don't know how it will react to the drilling!
Step 20
Thankfully all goes well and the drill makes light work of the task.
That pile of stone dust will also come in useful; we can mix it with the glue to help secure the rods.
Step 21
Another hole now has to be drilled in the edge of the adjoining fragment; this must match up perfectly to allow the rod to fit across the break.
First stage is to dab paint thickly around the freshly drilled hole.
Step 22
The fragment is then placed in position and pressure applied.
This has to be done quickly before the paint blobs dry, but also with care as we don't want paint smeared everywhere
Step 23
Success!
The paint has left a good imprint on the other fragment, so we know where to drill the second hole to fit the rod.
Step 24
The metal rods now have to be cut to the right length, about 7cm.
This was harder than we thought as the stainless steel is very tough. We had to stop several times as the blade kept heating up.
Only 6 more to go!
Step 25
With the metal rods in place within the join and epoxy glue applied, the two pieces are brought together.
Care is taken to align the edges before the two sections are held in place and the adhesive allowed to set.
Step 26
All stuck together now.
Hopefully the metal dowels will give the extra strength required, especially as we have to move the lid from the workshop in the basement to the gallery upstairs, where at last it can be reunited with its base.
Unfortunately we have no lift....any ideas!
Step 27
The only option is good old fashioned man power just like the Romans!
Here some of the team (our modern day Roman slaves) take a well deserved break after bringing one of the coffin lid fragments up the stairs.
Step 28
Before the lid is put in place the skeleton has to be laid out again. Being careful to get it right!
Unfortunately one item will be missing for a while and that's the skull. This is needed for analysis as we try and find out more about the man buried in the coffin 1800 years ago.
Step 29
Once everything is in place a new Perspex cover can be installed to support the stone fragments of the lid.
The Perspex is only 1cm thick so hopefully it will be robust enough to take the weight of the solid Bath stone blocks.
Step 30
Now the tricky task of installing the lid begins.
Thankfully all goes well and the Perspex proves strong enough to take the weight.
At last, 15 years since its discovery, the lid is once more back where it belongs, on top of the coffin.
Although the lid partially obscures the contents of the coffin, new lights will be installed to help illuminate the interior.
Step 31
The first phase of the redisplay is now complete, so in the second phase we turn our attention to the Skull.
Follow the blog as we attempt to learn more about the man buried in the coffin.
A big thanks to the pupils of Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor, Flintshire and Ysgol y Berllan Deg, Cardiff for celebrating the opening of the new Moel y Gaer with us yesterday. We were all inspired by Dewi Pws Morris, Children's Poet Laureate. He worked with us in creating a performance and a poem. I'm going to carve the words of the poem on a wooden slab over the next weeks and it will be on display next to Moel y Gaer for all to see. You can read the poem which talks about home, memory, invention and a sense of continuity between past and present
Final Natural History Open day – Wednesday 27th October 2010
Members of the public will be given an intimate insight into the museum’s natural history collections next week. As part of the International Year of Biodiversity, the departments of Biodiversity and Systematic Biology along with Geology have been holding open days throughout the year to showcase the work that they do.
Museum experts in a wide range of fields, from bugs to beetles, dandelions to diatoms can all be found in the main hall along with a crazy array of critters from the national collections. Visitors can also sign up for a wide variety of behind the scenes tours where they will be able to find out more about the incredible collections that the museum holds and the research that we do.
I will be running tours of the large shell collection, showcasing some of the 2 million shell specimens that we hold as well as explaining some of the work that is carried out by our researchers. Other tours will take you round the Welsh National Herbarium, the amazing vertebrate collections with their primate skeletons and stuffed animals, the insect collections with butterfly specimens over a hundred years old, and the vast array of pickled animals in jars in our marine lab.
This is to be the final open day for this year, so don’t miss your chance! Come and meet the experts and take the opportunity for a unique trip behind the scenes. Book your tour place on the day - numbers are limited to 10-12 people on each tour. Tours are suitable for ages 8 and over, but unfortunately are unsuitable for people with limited mobility because of the stairs involved.
