Skip to content

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Jain Shrine Nearing Completion!

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

5/18/2023

behind the scenes , objects conservation , CAMConservation , Jain Shrine

The treatment on our Jain Shrine is (finally!) nearing completion! When we first posted about this project well over a year ago, we knew it would be a lengthy treatment, due not only to the large size of the object, but also its complex condition issues. We are now working on the coating removal and repair of the final pieces and are just a few short months away from the gallery installation.

In these photos we share a carved flower detail from one of the last few pieces before and after coating removal. Without the degraded and dirty coating, the color and painted details on the flower really come through. Look for the after-treatment debut of this piece—with all its beautifully painted designs and gilt details now visible—in the Anu and Shekhar Mitra Gallery of South Asian Art.

Stay tuned for more info about the reinstallation of the Jain Shrine—specific date to be announced.

Devotional Shrine Used in a Jain Household (ghar derasar), 1700–1899, India, Gujarat, carved wood painted and gilded, The William T. and Louise Taft Semple Collection, 1962.459

Devotional Shrine Used in a Jain Household (ghar derasar, before), 1700–1899, India, Gujarat, carved wood painted and gilded, The William T. and Louise Taft Semple Collection, 1962.459

Devotional Shrine Used in a Jain Household (ghar derasar), 1700–1899, India, Gujarat, carved wood painted and gilded, The William T. and Louise Taft Semple Collection, 1962.459

Devotional Shrine Used in a Jain Household (ghar derasar, after), 1700–1899, India, Gujarat, carved wood painted and gilded, The William T. and Louise Taft Semple Collection, 1962.459

Previous Next

Related Blog Posts

2023 Wrapped

by Cincinnati Art Museum
12/14/2023
Join us as we look back on our noteworthy milestones and accomplishments of the past year.
Devotional Shrine Used in a Jain Household (ghar derasar), 1700–1899, India, Gujarat, carved wood painted and gilded, The William T. and Louise Taft Semple Collection, 1962.459

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Jain Shrine—Now on Display!
by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator
9/14/2023
If you’ve been following our Conservation blog posts, you may have seen several updates as we carried out treatment over the past two years.
Devotional Shrine Used in a Jain Household (ghar derasar), 1700-1899, India, Gujarat, carved wood painted and gilded, The William T. and Louise Taft Semple Collection, 1962.459

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Jain Shrine—Revealing Multiple Layers of History
by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator
2/23/2023
While cleaning and conserving our Jain shrine, we discovered several layers of paint from different periods of its history. The carved wooden designs would have been repainted several times during its use as a devotional object.