Indian miniature paintings have various schools and technical differences, but most of them have thick paint layer and impasto effects. Thick paint layers tend to flake off under certain circumstances. This flaking can be very unstable/powdering off or more stable in the sense that flaking is not falling off easily… We at heritage preservation Atelier…
At the edge of a jungle, we found some ruins of a temple which was still functional in adjoining more recently constructed room. Initially when i visited the site in 2008, there was another structure right in the middle of the temple complex. This structure was now (2015) totally erased from the landscape. Only a…
(June 2017 These days we are working on a few blue-prints and blue-lines in our lab. Before starting any work, we tried to discuss the original material and technique used into making them, with our team.) Both these processes use different light sensitive chemicals for re-producing or copying the original drawings made on translucent paper.…
Very often we have seen that old worn out paintings are pasted on thicker backing board or sheet. This initially looks good as the worn out or crushed paper or fabric looks much better as it acquires the smoothness and strength of the new backing; but, we tend to ignore that this is not for…
At times we find old sticky tape which leaves almost no adhesive on paper and does not make the paper brittle; instead, it makes its own plastic base brittle. Is this because of the adhesive chemistry itself or because of the pigment on the paper it is applied on?
We have learned while specializing in the field of conservation of cultural property (more specifically art, in the present discussion), about the specific type of material that should be used while mounting a painting on paper. The technique also matters a lot. One common technique of mounting involves creating ‘hinges’ on the mount board…
When the pages have turned very brittle and there are tears, lost areas and old repairs with incompatible and damaging materials, it is not that simple to mend and rebind a book with traditional sewing technique. Some binding procedures that cannot be performed properly or at all are: We cannot trim the edges. We…
What is sellotape? Sellotape is basically a brand of transparent, polypropylene-based, pressure-sensitive tape. But, this term is also used for any such pressure sensitive tape of any brand. Sellotape is generally used for joining, sealing, attaching and mending. The older version of sellotape has shown some changes in its physical and chemical properties over a…
Once the old damaged binding was opened and stuck up pages of the books (to be treated) were separated/opened-up and the torn pages mended, the information in the books was digitally preserved. This digitization process was done before re-binding because it would have been difficult and damaging to digitize them in bound state. It is…
Last week we were busy tending each and every folio of the highly damaged and acidic books that we are restoring these days. Following pictures of just one of the books might give an idea of the kind of work we are doing these days with the help of our talented young staff.
Among the books being treated in our lab, one is binding of 12 journals from november 1907 to October 1908. Individual pages were mended with skill and patience. They were then joined at the central edge and signatures or journals gathered for final binding..
Museum objects have so much to say! But their voice is outside their own existence.. Only curators can tell what the objects want to say, to the world, and that message should be correct! Moreover, if an object is being infested with some deteriogen, only curators can voice their pain to the doctors of the…
Two major problems associated with old paper manufactured during mid nineteenth century onward are: Brittleness Yellowing or darkening Breaking of paper due to brittleness (loss of flexibility to bend without breaking) generally occurs in very old paper which was manufactured from wood pulp technology. Other feature found in such old paper getting brittle, is yellowing…
To understand and master paper conservation, one must understand the composition and manufacturing of paper. The composition of paper and raw material in its making has varied since its invention in 105 AD in China. The timeline of paper manufacturing technique and composition as understood from various sources is as follows: The invention of paper…
Beyond Display: Why Museums Need Strong Policies to Protect What Matters Museums are not just buildings filled with artifacts—they are guardians of memory, identity, and continuity. They hold the tangible expressions of our shared past, from handcrafted textiles and ancient tools to rare manuscripts and ceremonial objects. But behind every well-lit gallery and carefully curated…
The kind of involvement it takes to create an art work at the level of mind and senses, makes the activity a form of meditation. The focus and spontaneity required not only keeps the mind free of negative thought process, but at the same time creates positive vibes of satisfaction, accomplishment and self worth. If…
Museums are the reflection of any culture or city or a part of art/history. Tourists rarely miss a chance to visit any city’s museum(s) in their travel plans. But, museums are not taken seriously by their own caretaker government departments because they don’t seem to generate revenue. This viewpoint needs to be changed because they…
There are many methods used to secure the falling of pieces right in the beginning , before we start with other treatment procedures of conservation. These methods are extremely helpful as they allow the conservators work with more confidence while removing the surface accumulations that are damaging as well as obscuring the art work and…
The beginnings of Art Conservation work at Sri Harmandar Saheb Ji… Much of the conservation work on the first floor was completed by mid 2014… After this, it took many months for the finishing and doing the added work of ground floor walls and some other areas too… Its a story that needs to be…
When we are handling old photographs’ collection, we must understand the simpler as well as the very technical aspects perfectly before starting any minimum or maximum intervention. We also need to keep the preventive storage or display case ready before we finish the treatment.
Condition Assessment: Problems : The silk flag to be treated was very old and hence had deteriorated a lot by intrinsic as well as extrinsic factors. It was shattering at the slightest handling. The major deteriorating factors have been: Silk being naturally susceptible to fast ageing, gets embrittled leading to splits and tears, and eventually…
Nineteenth century silk flag restoration..
Conservation of the National Heritage of our country is a very comprehensive study area and can be better dealt with if we take it up at state levels and then pick up the common as well as the unique areas for different states. What to preserve/conserve? Structures : Monuments, Memorials and certain landscapes Museums: various…
Young and enthusiastic professionals from museums and cultural organizations were our guests last week and we were more than pleased to share our knowledge and understanding about the field of museum, conservation and collection management with them. Ms. Seema Gera, the Curator at Govt. Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh and Ms. Niyati Jigyasu, Professor,…
The traditional role of museums is to collect objects and materials of cultural, religious and historical importance, preserve them, research into them and present them to the public for the purpose of education and enjoyment. Emmanuel N. Arinze President, Commonwealth Association of Museums Public lecture at the National Museum, Georgetown, Guyana Monday, May 17, 1999 What if the…
noun (Colours) a reddish pigment derived from iron ore the preliminary sketch found on a rough underlayer called the arriccio on the wall, underneath the fresco While treating very old wall paintings, i was surprised to see sinopia showing up at places different from the final figure’s outline. When i studied more and more…
