As part of the conservation efforts at Baba Bikrama Singh Asthan in Amritsar, Senior Art Conservators Dr. Maninder Singh Gill and Sreekumar Menon led an intensive week-long study of the site's invaluable wall paintings from 30/8/24 - 6/9/24.
Some sections of the wall paintings show signs of powdering, where pigments lose cohesion, often due to issues with the binding medium. As a result, the paint layer appears fragmented and begins to deteriorate. This issue may affect specific colours or localised areas of the painting.
To address this, Dr. Maninder and his team conducted a trial to consolidate the powdered paint. This video showcases their process of applying a consolidant to the affected areas. The primary goal of this trial is to restore the pigments to a unified layer, making them more cohesive. The end result is a far less textured appearance to the paint layer which is structurally more stable. The bright colour of the frescos after treatment is only due to the wetness from the solvent which will disappear after it evaporates.
We wish to express our gratitude to Bindu Gowda, of Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative, for capturing the footage for this video.
A quick note!
Virasati Asthan Seva is raising funds to ensure Sikh Heritage Sites are saved for the future. To help us carry out the conservation efforts to the standards you see in this video, please consider supporting us with a donation. For more information please visit:
www.virasati.org/support-us