A case study on the ethical considerations for an intervention upon a Tibetan religious sculpture

Hall, A. M.

doi:10.1080/01410096.2004.9995205

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…The data was then compared to written sources on the same topic, either produced for UNESCO conservation workshops in the region (Ngari Rinpoche 2003, 2005), for conservation articles on similar subjects (Bruce- Gardner 1988;Elgar 2010;Hall 2004;Reedy 1991Reedy , 1992 or for exhibition catalogues (Dalai Lama 1996).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections Around the Conservation of Sacred Thangkas

Cotte¹

2013

Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies

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Tibetan thangkas (Buddhist scroll paintings) are created as religious ritual objects. The fact that they are mainly considered as artworks in the Western world impacts on the decisions made for their display and conservation. This article explores the current approach to thangkas in Australian public collections and compares it with the views of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism practitioners. It underlines a few misconceptions at the source of conservation decision-making, and discusses practical outcomes of integrating the sacred dimension into professional practice against the backdrop of conservation’s Codes of Ethics. Conserving living religious heritage requires that professional ethical standards are adaptable to the needs of users. Existing frameworks for the conservation of sacred objects of pre-colonised, indigenous cultures provide useful models for the conservation of thangkas. This article argues that engaging with contemporary cultural groups to conserve religious significance is part of the mission of conservators. This is viewed as an expansion of conservation practice into the social realm, in a search for purposeful conservation that establishes the social relevance of our profession

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