Delhi

YEAR: 2015-2016

Conservation of wall paintings in Lama Lha-khang (Lama temple), Chemday Monastery, Ladakh
The ICI undertook conservation of wall paintings housed in the Lama Lha-khang of the Chemday monastery in 2013. The walls of the temple are a treasure house of 17th Cent. Tibetan style wall paintings executed on earthen plaster support using bright natural pigments. The beauty of the wall paintings however was hidden under a thick veil of dust, dirt, soot, grease and oil. There were also mud plaster drips harming the artwork. The plaster layer supporting the paintings had become weak and was lost in many areas. The paint layer had also pulverized in some areas due to previous unscientific interventions.
Detailed documentation of the condition of the walls was undertaken in 2014-15. Emergency stabilization of the fragile areas, detaching and loosely bound portions of the wall as well as areas where the paint layer was flaking, was also undertaken to prevent further loss.

During June – August 2015, the previous unscientific interventions and fillings were carefully removed. Before undertaking conservation work, scientific testing or trials of conservation materials and application methods were undertaken for determining appropriate conservation treatments. Test patches were made for determining levels of cleaning. Locally available clay samples and fillers were tested to make the aggregates for filling and grouting. Grouting was done to provide strength to the hollow areas behind the original plaster layer using the mixtures prepared after proper testing. Some areas on the wall had developed uneven bulges. These were flattened and consolidated with mud plaster. The final filling was burnished properly to make it fine, even and smooth. The areas where the paint layer was powdery and flaking as well as the plaster was separating were consolidated to provide strength.

Cleaning of the surface for the removal of various accretions was the most important aspect of conservation treatment. Cleaning of the wall painting started after the complete stabilization of wall painting layers. Cleaning was done using both mechanical and solvent cleaning methods. Mechanical cleaning was done using Wishab dry cleaning sponges. Cleaning was also done using different solvents depending on the type of accretions.

Conservation of a small Temple, Nirmand, Himachal Pradesh
According to mythology, Nirmand derives its name from the word ‘Nir-mund’ meaning ‘without head’. It is believed that, this was the land where Goddess Shakti’s head fell when Lord Shiva carried her body and went around the earth in remorse. Nirmand is considered to be a sacrosanct place where Lord Parshuram is believed to have settled the Brahmins in a bid to eliminate the Kshatriyas, members of the warrior caste, from the face of the Earth. Nirmand’s principal shrine is the Parshuram temple complex, which is built in the traditional Pahari style with gabled slate roof and extensive use of wood and stone. There is a small temple adjacent to the main Parsuramtemple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is approximately 10 feet high and has beautifully carved stone slabs and wooden beam.
INTACH Conservation Institutes undertook the conservation of this temple as a showcase project for the community. The project started in November 2015 and was completed in Feb 2016.

The ornamental elements on the temple structure (including Shikhara) as well as the idols within the temple had a very thick and stubborn deposition of dust, dirt, oil, algal growth and soot. There were multiple layers of roli (Mercuric sulfide) applied obliterating the details. The stone slabs on the roof were dislocated and broken at some places. The wooden pillars were damaged with cracks, loosened joints & dislocation and while carvings were also lost at some places. Wooden parts of the temple were also covered with roli. Many stone slabs/slates of the temple were dislocated and shape of the upper part was tilted. Joints of the stone slabs were opened at many places andsteps of the temple were completely damaged with only some pieces of stone left.

The conservation work involved cleaning of the structure as well as the idols. The stones in the structure were re-set and those missing were replaced with similar new ones. The joints were filled with compatible material. The work on the wooden pillars involved cleaning, consolidation and replacement of highly damaged ones.

Conservation of wall paintings, Shri. Dei JiSahibaMandir Complex, Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh
Paonta Saheb town (Sirmore District, Himachal Pradesh) is a sacred place for the Sikh community as it is the place where Guru Govind Singh stayed and the PaontaSahebGurudwara commemorates his stay. The Shri Dei JiSahibaMandir (also known as Maharaja Ram Chandra Temple) in paontaSaheb (dated 1889) was constructed by RaniSahiba of Kangra, DeijiSahibaSirmori, in memory of her deceased husband Raja PratapChandBahadur of Sirmore. The government took over the complex in 1990 and it is now maintained by the Temple Trust.The temple complex, located on the banks of River Yamuna, consists of the main temple dedicated to Lord Ram Chandra, others dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman, Samadhi structure as well as upon direction of Hon’ble High Court of H.P. the INTACH HP Chapter Convenor of Kangra approached ICI for the conservation of the wall paintings adorning the walls of the main temple and the Shiva Temple.

Within the Rama Temple, the wall behind the main idols has paintings depicting Hindu deities. The other walls are re-plastered with cement. In the Shiva temple there are eight painted sections.

The wall paintings of the temple were covered with a layer of cement plaster in several areas. There were losses in the paint layer as well as the lime plaster support. Paint layer was powdery and flaking in several areas along with depositions of soot and dust. The conservation involved careful removal of the cement plaster layer deposited on the wall paintings and the cleaning. Consolidation of paint layer was undertaken to arrest the flaking.

YEAR 2013-2014

Conservation of Bhootnath temple, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
The first phase of conservation work that involved removal of layers of enamel paint and plaster applied over the exterior and interior walls of the temple was completed by Mahashivratri (March 2013). The second phase was completed in June 2013. The marble floor (a modern intervention) was dismantled and the original stone paving underneath was restored. The drainage system of the pranali was restored with new improved fittings. The entire temple structure was assessed, new stones introduced in areas where they were missing, and dowels were also introduced in some areas for consolidation of the masonry. A new illumination plan was made and executed on the temple premises.

Conservation of wooden elements at Balaji Ghats, Varanasi (U.P.)
The Balaji Ghat project (January 2014 onwards) involves cleaning and consolidation of various wooden architectural elements such as wooden pillars, arches and bases of the wooden architecture on the site. The project is in association with INTACH Architectural Heritage Division and is funded by the World Monument Fund. The cleaning of all the large wooden pieces has been completed.

Conservation of Murals at Ladakh
A team of conservators from the Centre were stationed in Mangyu, Ladakh from June to September and completed conservation of the three main walls inside the 12th Century Chenrezig Lakhang temple adorned with priceless paintings. The work involved cleaning of the walls, consolidation of paint layers and filling and grouting of plaster.

The ICI Delhi has also been entrusted with the conservation of the oldest wall paintings housed in the Lama Lha-khang of the Chemdey monastery. The team completed the documentation of the walls. The walls of the temple are a treasure house of Tibetan style wall paintings executed on earthen plaster support using bright natural pigments. The beauty of the wall paintings however remains hidden under a thick veil of dust, dirt, soot, grease and oil. There are also mud plaster drips harming the artwork. The plaster layer supporting the paintings has become weak and is lost in many areas. The conservation work will be taken up in the coming year.

Conservation of installation at International Airport, Delhi
The metallic Surya installation at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was restored during December and January 2014. The installation was suffering from corrosion, abrasion as well as surface accretions. Due to frequent touching by visitors, the patina coating had become uneven.
The installation was restored to its former glory by the team which worked continuously on the premises.

Collection of Ministry of External Affairs
The Objet d’art (ODA) section of the Ministry of External Affairs houses a collection of artworks by well known Indian artists. The ICI Delhi has been involved in their conservation since 2011. This year also a number of objects were assessed by Delhi team and these objects will be conserved in the coming months.

Documentation of material heritage resources in Daman and Dui
The team from ICI Delhi was involved in the project related to mapping of material heritage resources in the Union Territory. The objects were surveyed and catalogued along with their condition assessment.

YEAR 2013- 2014

Conservation of wall paintings at Chemrey Monastery, Ladakh; self-initiated project under the Special Corpus Fund
There are only handful wall paintings conservation experts in India and the vast heritage is getting lost due to lack of trained people and opportunities. The ICI Delhi Centre is undertaking conservation of wall paintings of 17th Cent belonging to the Drukpa sect and housed inside the Lama Lha-khang, Chemrey Gompa. The paintings had suffered extensive damage and had deteriorated considerably over the period of time. Problems included thick depositions of soot, flaking of paint layer, loosening of plaster support, water damage as well as previous unscientific attempts at filling cracks. In 2013-14, the INTACH ICI team completed the documentation and condition mapping of the wall paintings. Filling and grouting was done where there was a major loss of the mortar. Local consolidation of paint layer was also undertaken to arrest the flaking and further loss of paint. The cleaning involved careful removal of the thick veil of dust, dirt, soot, grease and oil. Samples of materials used in the execution of the paintings such as the plasters, pigments, adhesives, fillers, etc. were scientifically analysed examined to guide the conservation treatment. Automatic data loggers were also installed for continuous environmental monitoring, i.e. analysing the micro climatic conditions around the Gompa and fluctuations in temperature and humidity over the seasons.

Conservations of oil paintings at Khairagarh University, Chattisgarh
The Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh (Chattisgarh) is the only University of Music and Fine Arts in Asia and has been running successfully for five decades now. The university was setup with a donation of the palace by the Royal family of Khairagarh and the most prominent artworks in its collection are six life size portraits of the members of the Royal family executed in oil. These large paintings were in extremely deteriorated and fragile condition. There were heavy deposits of grime that were adding weight to the already sagged and damaged painted canvases as well as damaged stretchers that could no longer support them. There was extensive crack formation in all the six paintings with mechanical damages such as tears, dents as well as abrasions. Given the large size and fragile condition of the paintings, the conservation work was undertaken on the site itself. A temporary lab was set-up in the University premises and a team of conservators from Delhi successfully completed the conservation work on the six paintings.

The ICI Delhi was involved in restoration of collection belonging to the Gorkha Training regiment in Subathu (GTC 14 Subathu) as well as the Hodson’s Horses Regiment in Pathankot. The collection included large flags, maps, lithographs, documents and oil paintings. The Centre also restored a collection of 94 maps published by the ‘Survey of India’ dating late 18th Century-early 19th Century and paintings belonging to Ram Kumar, the eminent Indian abstract painter. The Centre was also involved in the various workshops conducted under the ICI training and capacity building programme. The Centre conserved a total of 487 objects during the year.

Conservation of collection of Ministry of External Affairs
The Delhi Centre restored large Madhubani paintings by the famous folk artist Sita Devi and Rajasthani Phad painting belonging to the Object d’art (ODA) section of the Ministry of External Affairs. In addition two large Shekhawati paintings on wooden panels (approx. 11 X 15 ft in size) were restored at the Ministry of External Affairs premises. The two paintings consisting of four panels each were fixed to a ply-board using nails and a strong adhesive. Over the period of time, the panels started developing cracks and separating out due to the resulting stress and tension. There were losses in the original wooden board support. There was dust and dirt accumulation along with smudge marks and drips of white wash.

Conservation of polychrome sculpture from Prime Minister’s Office
A large polychrome carved wooden sculpture depicting Ravana in ‘Ravananugraha’ posture, belonging to the Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi was restored by the ICI Delhi team. The sculpture was suffering from accumulation of deposits, extensive paint loss, splitting and loss of fragments of wood and loosening of various joints. The sculpture was restored to its former glory by the ICI Delhi team.

Year : 2012-2013

Conservation of Bhootnath temple, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
INTACH team was initially entrusted with the task of cleaning the layers of enamel paint applied over the exterior and interior walls of the temple. However, during investigation, the team discovered the presence of layers of plaster beneath the enamel paint and also detailed fine stone carving beneath these plaster layers. On further research it was revealed that in 1904, there was an earthquake in the region which caused major structural damage to the temple. During this time, for the protection of the temple local plaster was applied on the lower sections of the stone walls of the temple. This application in a very unscientific manner obscured the fine carved tiers on the base as well as the details on the stone. With time, plaster was re-applied a number of times extending even up to the middle section of the temple and was even replaced by cement plaster at a later date. Later on, enamel paint was applied both on the interior and exterior walls of the temple. The first phase of conservation work involved removal of paint as well as plaster layers. The work started in November 2012 and by Mahashivratri (March 2013), the most important event in the temple, the first phase of the conservation work was complete. The second phase will involve structural repair work and paving.

Conservation of Murals at Mangyu Gompa, Ladakh
A team of conservators from the Centre were stationed in Mangyu, Ladakh from July to September working on the conservation of the three main walls inside the 12th Century Chenrezig Lakhang temple adorned with priceless paintings. The project is being sponsored by Shinnyo-en, Japan. The conservation work for this season involved mainly detailed documentation of the paintings. This involved textual, photographic and graphical documentation of the painted surfaces and scientific analysis of pigments and plaster for understanding the different layers in the paintings and damages present therein. The conservation plan for the coming year will be based on the information gained through this process. Emergency conservation works were also undertaken to prevent further damage to the art work as the team will be carrying out further conservation only next year. Two PhD scholars from Courtauld Institute of Art were also involved in this phase of the project. One monk from Likir monastery and few local villagers will be associated with the team during the project time to learn basic preventive conservation so that necessary measures can be undertaken by the monastery if a need rises in the future. Mr. Sandeep Kumar, Senior Conservator also visited Phugthal Monastery and Muney Monastery in Zanskar, Ladakh to assess the condition of wall paintings, a preliminary report has been prepared for submission to the Tourism Department, Ladakh.

Rajiv Gandhi foundation
Two conservators assessed the condition of the works by the famous artist, M.F. Husain collection belonging to the Rajiv Gandhi foundation in March 2012. The entire collection was restored this year. While some of the works in the storage were restored at the site, other large canvases by the artist were brought to the Centre and the work was completed successfully.

Jawaharlal Nehru University
The Conservation of a large mural (10 ft by 8 ft) by Shamshad Husain displayed at the Social studies department was completed by the team of conservators working on the site. The large mural is a mixed media artwork comprising of metallic sheets, photographs, painted wooden boards and canvases and even decorations using iron nails. The work also involved installation of proper lighting as well as an overhanging protective shade.

Private Collection of paintings by artist B.M. Anand
The Centre restored paintings by B.M. Anand which belong to the private collection owned by his family. The entire lifetime work of the artist is being restored by the Centre which will eventually be complied in the form of a Coffee Table Book.

Year : 2011-2012

Ministry of External Affairs
The Objet d’art (ODA) section of the Ministry houses a collection of art works by well known Indian artists like Akbar Padamsee, Krishan Khanna, J. Shyam to name a few and a large number of art objects. The Delhi Centre is involved in the conservation of the collection since October 2011.

Private Collection of paintings by artist B.M. Anand
The Centre restored the paintings by B.M. Anand which belong to the private collection owned by his family.

Year 2010-2011

Structural Conservation of Mangyu Monestry, Mangyu Ladhakh
For the third consecutive year the team of conservators went along with the team of Architectural Heritage Division of Intach to assist in structural conservation works of the painted ceiling of the Mangyu Monastery. Apart from the regular work, plaster consolidation work and documentation of stucco images present inside the chambers was also undertaken.

Conservation of Art Objects and Altars at the St. Anne’s church, Talaulim, Goa.
The Church of St. Anne is a religious monument located in Santana, Goa, India. It is an example of Indian baroque architecture. Interior of the church is decorated with huge altars, pulpit, polychrome sculptures and lithographs depicting the events in the life of Lord Christ, which includes a wooden panel painting, 14 lithographs of imperial size printed in Paris, 26 wooden polychrome sculptures, a wooden pulpit and 5 wooden altars varying from 15 feet to 37 feet in size. The project was funded by Government of Goa. The conservation work began in October 2008 and completed in June 2011.

Research Project: The Art Conservation Centre, Delhi is collaborating with Pidilite Industries, Mumbai to develop conservation grade materials in India in order to reduce the import of costly materials. Ms. Joyoti Roy and Sarojkant Mishra have been coordinating the project under the supervision of Dr. O.P. Agrawal, Advisor to Intach and Mr. Nilabh Sinha, Principal Director ICCI. A phase plan for execution of work has been prepared and samples are being worked upon for various scientific testing.