Conservation Studios and Laboratories 7: The Conservation Laboratory of the National

Museum, New Delhi

Author(s): O. P. Agrawal
Source: Studies in Conservation , Aug., 1963, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Aug., 1963), pp. 99-105
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the International Institute for
Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/1505135

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 Conservation Studios and Laboratories - 7

0. P. AGRAWAL

The Conservation Laboratory of

Museum, New Delhi
Received 23/4/63

THE National Museum, New Delhi, had its [i]. Since then the National
of his department
origin in 1949 as a result of an Exhibition
Museum Laboratoryof has grown in equipment
Indian Art held in that year in the
and State rooms
staff, and now its activities include many
of the President's House. It took its present
different aspects of the scientific investigation
and
form with the opening of the first conservation
phase of itsof art-objects.
new building on I8 December 1960. The
collections of the museum now range from STAFF
prehistoric times to 1857, comprising sculp-
The
tures and carvings in stone, stucco, scheme below gives the gene
terracotta,
wood, and metal; textiles; paintings onposition
present paper,of the staff in the departm
Chemist
silk, cotton, canvas, and wood; illuminated
manuscripts; arms; objects of decorativeAssistant
arts; Chemist
jewellery; manuscripts of paper and birchChemical Assistant
I Senior
bark; material depicting the dresses and4 Chemical
the Assistants
traditions of the people of the various 3regions
Junior Chemical Assistants
of the country; Sir Aurel Stein's collection
Repairers and attendants.
from Central Asia, including transferred
murals. The collection is beingThis staff isby
enriched regarded as a nucleus, and
purchases and presentations. A part
haveof to it
be is on
expanded to cope with the resp
ibilities
exhibition and the rest in storage of the Museum.
and available
for study. The Chemist, who is the head of the dep
For the care and conservation of this vast ment, is directly responsible to the Director
collection, the necessity of having a Conserv- all work carried out in the department.
ation Laboratory was soon felt. To plan a
Laboratory for the National Museum, a LABORATORY SPACE
chemist, Mr T. R. Gairola, was appointed as
Head of the department in 1957. The difficulty At present in a room of 8o X 40
of setting up a working laboratory for im- 24 m) working tables, sinks, cupbo
mediate work in the initial stages was partly are fitted for general work. In one
solved by the generous offer of the Director well-equipped dark room has bee
General of Archaeology in India, who trans- where examination under the micr
ferred to the National Museum part of the photo-micrographic work can als
equipment and staff from the conservation A separate room adjacent to the
laboratory attached to the Museums Branch houses the gas plant which supplies
99

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Ioo O. P. Agrawal

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FIG. 2. Work benches and a fume cupboard. The tables and sinks are movable.

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The Conservation Laboratory of the National Museum, New Delhi 10o1

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FIG. 3. Apparatus for photo-micrography.

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102 O. P. Agrawal

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FIG. 5. A dust-proof glass-panelled room for speci

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FIG. 6. The stereo-micro

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 The Conservation Laboratory of the National Museum, New Delhi 10o3

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FIG. 7. An assistant working on a miniature painting.

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FIG. 8. Work in pro

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 Io4 0. P. Agrawal
laboratory benches. 2. Another
Metallic objectswell-lit room
adjacent to the main laboratory, Metallic objects areis
treated by chem
devoted
repair work. electrochemical methods, including
lysis. An ultrasonic generator and t
SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION-SPECIAL
been added recently to the equipme
section. For fragile and porous ant
EQUIPMENT
vacuum impregnation apparatus ru
Leybold vacuum pump is in use. T
I. Metallurgical microscope-Bausch and
Lomb DM. types of conservation are carried out
2. Chemical mnicroscope-Zeiss-lkon. objects.
3. Photomicrographic Equipment Model L
-Bausch and Lomb. 3. Oil paintings
4. Stereo-microscope-Bausch and Lomb. Several members of the staff have been
5. Spectronic 20 colorimeter with reflectance trained abroad in the techniques of caring for
attachment-Bausch and Lomb. Western Art. Before treatment is commenced
6. Hanovia Ultraviolet lamps. a technical examination for assessment of
7. Hot stage microscope-Reichert-room condition and for examination of the materials
temperature to 22o00C. used by the artist is carried out. In this search
8. K.B.L (India) 6 X 6 cm enlarger. the stereo-microscope with long arm stand and
9. Polishing and grinding horizontal wheel hot stage microscope is of a great help. The
for processing specimens for metallurgical hot stage microscope is invaluable for finding
examination. the melting-points of resins, waxes, varnishes,
etc.
io. Electric ovens.
1 i. pH meter.
For chemical examination and analysis
4. Transfer of murals
both micro- and macro-methods are used, The and transfer by the laboratory of some
the laboratory is fully equipped for this murals
work. from a palace of an eighteenth-century
ruler of a small State in the Himalayas requires
CONSERVATION
special mention. The total painted wall area of
the palace, II 100oo sq. ft (i Ioo m2), has been
I. Manuscripts, paintings on paper transferred and is now being given fresh
The museum has a rich and valued collec-
support. Sections of these murals will be re-
tained on
tion of manuscripts, illunminations for paper,
the National Museum, New Delhi,
and the
and miniatures. The paper paintings, rest exhibited at the local museum
whenever
of the State.
required, are given another support, generally
by the wet method [2]. For lamination with
cellulose films the Morane Plastic Sealing
5. Textiles
Machine, model V, is available. For conservation
With this purposes, the textile
machine, the film has a pre-coatingcollection
ofcan be classified as follows:
heat-
sealing adhesive. The temperature i. Fabrics which require fumigation, removal
required
for sealing is only 6o0C. For very of stains, neutralization, and washing only.
brittle
paper and manuscripts on birch-bark No fresh
etc.,support
this is given to these unless
is of importance. Lamination between they arenylon
found to be lacking in strength.
2. tried
net using starch paste has also been Fabrics in
which
theare torn or fragmented but
laboratory, giving highly satisfactoryotherwise are sufficiently strong. These are
results.
repaired
A binding section is being planned nowwith
toneedle and thread after
removal
keep the treated manuscripts in a proper of stains, deacidification, and
form.

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 The Conservation Laboratory of the National Museum, New Delhi o105
fumigation, and given back-support if conditions of climate pose a great p
necessary. the museums, the importance an
3. Fabrics which have little strength remaining ibilities of a well-equipped museum
in their fibres. In this case a fresh support is are great indeed. This laboratory
provided by chemical methods after wash- mately have three responsibilities :
ing and cleaning. i. To set up standards for conservation
Facilities are available in the department 2. To advise other museums on the
for all these operations. of laboratories.
3. To train future conservators.
THE LIBRARY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Attached to the Laboratory is a library
where up-to-date technical books, Acknowledgement
magazines, is due to
and journals are kept for reference Grace
by the Morley,
staff. Director, and Dr K
The library is always being augmented withDirector, National Muse
Assistant
the latest publications on the subject.
Delhi, for their unceasing intere
development and planning of this d
CONCLUSION
The laboratory, in its present f
much
In India there are very few to its Chief, Mr T. R. Gair
museums
vast experience
which have arrangements of their own for in this field and de
conservation. The conservation the cause of of
laboratory conservation are mainly r
the National Museum, therefore, is expected laboratory its presen
for giving the
to develop itself into a central guiding in- O. P. AGRAWAL
stitution for the museums of this country.
National Museum of India,
New India
For a country of the dimensions of Delhi where

References

i T. R. GAIROLA, 'Setting up the Department of Preservation and Restoration in

the National Museum of India, New Delhi', Curator, 3 (i96o), pp. 271-8.
2 T. R. GAIROLA, 'Preservation of some Ancient Paintings and Manuscripts',
Ancient India, 8 (1952), p. 93.

LABORATOIRE DE CONSERVATION DU NATIONAL MUSEUM, NEW DELHI

Resume

Un laboratoire de conservation a 6td con-

en cours comprennent: la lamination de docu-
stitu6 en 1957 sous la direction de M. T. R.
ments, le traitement chimique et 6lectro-
Gairola. II a maintenant 9 chinmistes sous ses
chimique d'objets de m6tal, la restauration de
ordres. Le laboratoire comprend 3 pieces: untableaux " l'huile, le traitement des textiles et le
laboratoire de chimie g6ndrale, une chambre transfert de peintures murales.
noire et un studio de conservation. Les travaux O. P. A.

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