Object
The object is a wooden miniature/model of a man in a cangue cage and is light brown in colour. The model includes a masculine human wooden figure carved from one single piece of wood with pink lips. The clothes carved are a basic; sleeveless v-neck pantsuit.
In the early 20th century, Rev. Darwent wrote of ‘tiny whitewood figurines from Ningbo’. The series depicted various aspects of Chinese culture which included people having meals, smoking opium, threshing wheat and forms of punishment. The miniatures were crafted specifically for the foreign market at treaty ports in China – namely Ningbo. The American Museum of Natural history has a prodigious collection of said figurines.
The use of the miniatures varied depending on the owner. Some were purchased as souvenirs from trips or specifically as toys for children. More peculiar audiences used the miniatures to educate the western societies about Chinese culture, but these were often used as propaganda to justify the Christianisation (reference to missionaries) and civilization (referring to occupation) of the eastern world.
This object was identified as a torture/punishment miniature depicting a man in a cangue cage. This was used as a form of public humiliation or capital punishment. Although this method of punishment predated the 20th century, it became prevalent and more common after the Boxer Rebellion in 1901. A convict would be put in a cage and a large wooden collar, the cangue, secured about the neck. If used for public humiliation, the criminal would be placed in a public place for a short period of time where they would be at the mercy of the community to be fed and hydrated. Should the penalty for the crime be death, the prisoner would be left to die of starvation.
Condition
- The object was in several pieces
- Evidence of dust and dirt on the surface
- Possible past insect infestation
- Some pieces of the object are missing.
Conservation
Insect eggs were found on the male figure of this object. Although eggs were not found on any parts of the cage, all pieces were wrapped and placed in the freezer for two weeks at -20C. Even though it wasn’t clear if the infestation was active, the low temperature and period of time would ensure any active eggs/larvae were eliminated.
All parts of the object were dusted with a soft brush to remove any loose dirt from the surface. A vacuum was not used because there did not appear to be any loose dirt on the object, it was brushed as a precautionary measure. Groom stick was selected as the dry-cleaning method because the tack would be able to remove the pest eggs from the crevices of the object; it would also remove thicker layers of dirt from the object.
Breaks were found where individual parts were joined to create the cage. To prevent reoccurrence, it was important to create an even/greater surface area to re-adhere the object. In areas where the adhesive was raised and layered heavily, the tip of the cocktail stick was used to remove the adhesive from the object. With the adhesive identified as fish glue- only soluble in water. A solution of deionised water and ethanol was used to dissolve most of the adhesive. This was done carefully using a cotton swab on a cocktail stick. The object was placed below the extraction unit to assist in the drying process.
Once cleaned the object required reassembling. If present the smaller pieces of wood were joined to larger pieces to create a complete side. There were two parts of the cage thought to need fills. A piece of balsa wood was cut into shape using a scalpel. Sandpaper was used to smooth the etched or further shape the pieces of wood. To provide more strength and prevent absorption of paint into the balsa wood, it was coated with Paraloid in 6% acetone. A mixture of acrylic paints was used to match the colour of the replica to the original object. The texture, grain, and size of the balsa wood allowed the differentiation to be made- an easily identifiable colour difference might have been a distraction. The fill was joined to the object with Neutral pH adhesive. Because balsa is a very soft wood, very little pressure was put on the object when holding it together to allow the adhesive to set.
Two sides of the case were adhered together to create an ‘L’ shape then the base of the cage was added. Additional support was necessary at this point because the base was heavier than the other pieces of wood. A light layer of cotton was added to masking tape allowing little tacking surface of the tape on the actual object. The other two sides of the cage were added to create a complete cage.
The top of the cage was measured, and a piece of balsa was cut to fit the opening. Four small squares were cut at the corners of the wood to accommodate the panels of the cage. One-quarter of the shape was cut away to create an oval to fit the male figure’s neck. This was selected as opposed to an asymmetric cut to allow more space to accommodate the hair that extended from the head. Before adhering this together the same coating and paint were applied to this fill as mentioned above.