Conservation | Outreach and training in Bhutan
Conservation of monastic sculptures from Bhutan
Taktshang Monastery, Paro Valley, Bhutan
Photography by M. Fenn
Art Conservation in the Himalayas
Creating an exhibition can require years of preparation, including complex collaborations and unexpected partnerships. For the special exhibition Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan Beginning in 2005, curators and conservators traveled to Bhutan several times to examine and prepare sacred sculptures for transport to the Asian Art Museum. These precious works of art had never before left the Kingdom of Bhutan. Because of their great religious significance, special arrangements were made with the monasteries of Bhutan so that the Buddhist monks could work with museum experts to prepare the works of art for travel. Below, Conservator of Objects Mark Fenn describes his experiences teaching the monks some basic principles of western-style art conservation.
Exhibition Curator John Johnston and Mark Fenn
Photography by T. Bartholomew
“Between 2005 and 2007, I made a series of trips to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where I taught three workshops in sculpture conservation to monks responsible for the Buddhist sculptures there. Many of the sculptures were then lent to the exhibit The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts. I went with the exhibition curators, Terese Bartholomew and John Johnston, to several of the closer monasteries to select the sculptures. Those from the more remote monasteries were brought to me at our workshop in Thimphu."
 Four student monks during lecture Photography by Lopen Dorji Khandu |
 Lopen Sonam cleans a sculpture Photography by M. Fenn |
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 Buddha Vajrasattva, before cleaning Photography by M. Fenn |
 Buddha Vajrasattva, after cleaning Photography by M. Fenn |
"The seven monks and most of the sculptures were drawn from monasteries across the country. The monks had no science background and most spoke no English, so I was extremely fortunate that three Bhutanese museum personnel also joined the workshop. Writing notes on a whiteboard, with simultaneous translation by conservator Dorji Wangchuk from the Bhutan National Museum, I covered the concepts of condition reporting, solubility testing and cleaning. As we went along we developed a bilingual glossary of relevant terms."
"Because the sculptures had been devotedly cared for in the sheltered environment of the monasteries, they had very few major structural problems. The most common need was for cleaning, to remove soot and grime from oil lamps, incense and handling."
"I split the class into teams of one museum person and two or three monks, and assigned each group a sculpture to start with. Major concepts were presented in short lectures which were translated then discussed until everybody understood. Then the concepts were put into practice. They learned to examine and record the condition of each sculpture in writing and with digital photos, and to plan the treatment based on their findings. Besides the basic cleaning, some sculptures also needed reinforcement of minor breaks, patches for holes, or small replacement parts. Circulating among the teams I coached them as they practiced the skills we had discussed. Gradually the monks developed understanding and ability, 76 sculptures got cleaned and we all learned some new words."
Workshop participants, Bhutan 2007
Photography by T. Bartholomew
For more information on Bhutanese sculptures see The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, T. Bartholomew and J. Johnston, eds., Chicago: Serindia, 2008.
