Washington Conservation Guild

The Washington Conservation Guild presents the seventh meeting of
the 2010/2011 season

Please join us Thursday, April 7, 2011 for

   "Preserving the Gods: Early Twentieth Century Debates in the
    Conservation of South Indian Bronze Icons in the Government
    Museum, Madras"

Presenter:

    Sanchita Balachandran
    Curator/Conservator of The Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum
    (Baltimore, Maryland)

The meeting will be held at

    The Phillips Collection
    1600 21st St., NW
    Washington, DC  20009

The program will be held in the Center for the Study of Modern Art,
located behind the Museum's main building, in the old Carriage
House. Please enter via Hillyer Court, just off 21st Street.

The closest Metro is Dupont Circle/Red line. Limited street parking
is available

5-6pm Reception

6-7pm Presentation

7-8:30 pm Enjoy entertainment and refreshments at Phillips after
5pm, in the Museum (reservations recommended)

For more information:

    <URL:http://www.phillipscollection.org>

Abstract:

    Where are "living" religious icons best preserved, and who
    should be entrusted with their care? Do they belong within their
    cultural contexts to be venerated by religious authorities and
    believers, or should they be cared for in museums staffed by
    conservators trained in scientific methods? The Government
    Museum, Madras (now Chennai), renowned for its collection of
    mainly Hindu south Indian bronze idols dating from the third
    century onwards, was at the center of this debate by the late
    1800s.  By 1930, the Museum boasted the first laboratory in
    India dedicated specifically to the conservation bronze images,
    and became well known for its innovative treatments which
    restored heavily corroded artifacts to their original splendor.
    Recent research into the Museum records and the Tamil Nadu State
    Archives reveals intense debates over who could claim the right
    to preserving these icons British scientists and Indians trained
    in "western" science who were based in secular museums; or
    traditional Indian bronze craftsmen and religious practitioners
    working within sacred temple complexes. In this talk, I examine
    how these fierce contestations influenced the conservation of
    bronze images at the Government Museum, and fundamentally shaped
    the way in which they would be understood as art objects both to
    a local and international audience.

This event is free to WCG members, $5 for guests and non-members.

For more information about this meeting or WCG, please visit

    <URL:http://www.washingtonconservationguild.org>

Joanne Klaar Walker
WCG Membership Secretary


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:43
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-43-009
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