Paper Conservation Lab
With ample natural light and specialized tools, furnishings, and equipment, the CMA’s paper conservation lab is ideally suited for caring for the museum’s encyclopedic holdings of works of art on paper and related materials.
In the paper lab, conservators study, preserve, and restore a wide variety of artworks spanning historic, modern, and contemporary periods and representing myriad cultures and artistic movements. Types of artworks include all varieties of prints and photographs, drawings in all media and techniques, Western manuscripts on parchment and paper, and Islamic and Indian and Southeast Asian paintings and manuscripts on parchment, paper, and palm leaf.
To support essential museum activities, works of art on paper are routinely examined for acquisition, exhibition, loan, and research. Careful visual inspection of the art using a variety of light sources and magnification yields both fundamental and subtle information about an artwork’s facture and condition and enables the paper conservators to make informed recommendations for future handling, display, storage, and treatment. Conservators document their work with written reports and digital photography; for more in-depth study and documentation, advanced imaging and analytical techniques may also be used.
As custodians for substantial and superb paper collections, the CMA’s conservators continually strive to build technical acumen, treatment skills, and connoisseurship. Crucial to these objectives is collaboration with CMA curators and outside experts in conservation and related fields as this nexus of specialties ensures the best interpretation and care of the artworks.
Indian Paintings on Paper Colloquy
In recent years the CMA has expanded its holdings in the pre-Mughal, Mughal, Rajasthani, Deccani, and Pahari painting traditions. These works on palm leaf and paper span the 11th through 19th century and present diverse materials, fabrication techniques, and a long rich narrative in the art historical record. Concurrently, specialists in Indian painting have emerged within the field of paper conservation, their scholarship and applied skills informed by advances in our understanding of artists’ working methodologies and materials, stylistic trends and influences, function and use of objects, and past approaches to care and treatment.
In response to this growing collection, the CMA paper conservation lab held a colloquy in fall of 2018 for paper conservators specializing in these materials to gather to examine the museum’s superb collection of Indian paintings, share expertise and experiences, and enhance our knowledge of these complex objects.
With generous support from Albert Leonetti and Ruth Anna Carlson, the paper lab was able to host 8 specialists representing national and international institutions, including collections from Dublin, London, and Mumbai. Colloquy topics included the materials and techniques of fabrication, treatment protocols (such as paint stabilization, structural repair, and cosmetic intervention) historical mounts and presentation styles, preservation concerns (including handling, display, and storage), and the ethical considerations impacting many facets of care for these diverse materials.
Outstanding examples and a shared passion for Indian works on paper made for an auspicious occasion; the event created a synergy of learning, initiated countless edifying conversations, and prompted myriad questions and ideas for further exploration.