Conserving Indian Manuscripts in the Royal Collection
Painstaking conservation work was needed to allow them to feature in the exhibition
The Royal Library at Windsor Castle houses an exquisite collection of South Asian paintings and manuscripts. These artworks are full of beautiful, intricate detail but become inherently fragile as they age. This short film shows the conservation that enabled them to be safely handled and exhibited in Eastern Encounters: four centuries of paintings and manuscripts from the Indian Subcontinent at the Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh.
Initial examination in the paper conservation studio revealed hidden underdrawings and insights into the creative process, as well as exploring the artists' original materials and their stability. This guided subsequent treatments, including painstaking re-securing of lifting paint flakes under the microscope and different types of repair to the delicate papers.
Watch the film to learn more:
