Transfer of Wall Paintings in India: A Review and Approach

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the 1964 Venice Charter, the preservation of wall paintings by detaching and mounting techniques is the last resort when all other means of protection prove to be ineffective. This method is a highly sophisticated method that is now rarely practiced. The technique has been used in India successfully to salvage many decorative schemes such as Rang Mahal at Chamba, Rupi Palace at Kulu, separation for the two-layered paintings of Thanjavur, the Buddhist rock-cut shrine at Bagh, and the Sinon and Karsha monasteries in Sikkim and Ladakh by specific teams of specialized Indian conservators. Few of these extremely delicate techniques are included in the present knowledge systems of conservation. This paper presents the circumstances wherein the techniques of removal of wall paintings are applied, and the methodology followed in India. The knowledge and practical experiences in the transfer of historic decorative schemes during instances of natural calamities require the allocation of a specialized team of art conservators.

KEYWORDS:

• Decorative arts
• wall paintings
• rock-cut caves
• two-layered painting
• detachment
• mounting

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the team of conservators who played a phenomenal role in the transfer of wall paintings. We thankfully acknowledge the works of Dr. O.P Agarwal, NRLC, and Dr. T.R. Gairola, National Museum. We are also thankful to the professionals of ASI including Dr. R.K. Sharma, Dr. Anil Mathur, B.R.N Sharma, R.V Raghvan, B.N Tandon, K.S. Rana, S. Subbaraman, Dr. N.K. Samadhiya, R. Veeraraghavan, S. Jayransundaram, R.S. Tranbke, and Sri Ram Gulrande, and the senior conservators from NRLC including Atul Kumar Yadav, Rajiv Khare, Mata Prasad Maurya, Minesh, Pramod Kumar Pandey, Ajay Singh, and Illias Ahmed. The authors acknowledge the support from M.K Bhatnagar, Dr. Vinod Kumar, Sahana S.V., Priyanka Sharma, Sourav Silswal, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, and Kirt Kumar. We also would like to provide our special thanks to Satyajith Ibn for revising the current manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.