The Influence of Tian Gan Deflection on the Flatness of Hanging Scrolls in Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

ABSTRACT

The forms of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy are varied, including hanging scrolls, horizontal scrolls, screens, hand scrolls, and albums. Hanging scrolls are hung on the wall for display, but curling edges often appear on both sides of the hanging scroll. Various factors influence the deformation of paintings and calligraphy, such as temperature and relative humidity and the susceptibility of materials in scrolls as well as mounting techniques. The influences of structural components, such as tian gan (hanging rod), hanging rope, and di gan (lower rod) have received little attention. This paper focuses on the influences of tian gan deflection on the deformation of hanging scrolls, with the help of DIC (digital image correlation) visualization. Deflections of tian gan in two types of hanging methods were compared with a theoretical study. It was suggested that the influence of axial force was of great importance on the increase in deflection and bending moment. To reduce the bending of tian gan as much as possible, the vertical hanging method with appropriate position for the hanging rope should be chosen for mounting hanging scrolls.