Shriji Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar closely examining artwork by miniature artist Mr. Rahul Soni

Conservation Exchange: The City Palace Museum, Udaipur Conservators in the United States

Ms. Anuja Mukherjee and Ms. Bhasha Shah, conservators from the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, embarked on an official visit to the United States from 18 May to 2 June 2025. Their itinerary included participation in a Study Day programme co-organized by the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (IFA-NYU), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), and the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Conservation (AIC).

Ms. Mukherjee and Ms. Shah were invited speakers at the Study Day, "Preserving the Painted Court: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Conservation of Indian Paintings," held on 19-20 May 2025 by IFA-NYU and The Met. The opening day featured presentations by distinguished professionals, including Ms. Dipti Khera (Associate Professor, IFA and Department of History, NYU), Ms. Marina Ruiz Molina (Conservator, Sherman Fairchild Center for Works on Paper and Photograph Conservation, The Met), Ms. Emma Hartman (Mary Jo & Ted Shen Assistant Conservator of Paper, Yale University Art Gallery), as well as Ms. Mukherjee and Ms. Shah. They introduced the work of The City Palace Museum Conservation Lab and highlighted the ongoing project for the conservation of paintings displayed in the "Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur" exhibition. The session concluded with a panel discussion, moderated by Lisa Conte (Assistant Professor of Paper Conservation, IFA-NYU).

On the second day, conservators, curators, and art historians gathered at The Met's paper conservation lab to examine Mewar paintings from the museum's collection, and to discuss recent findings from the collaborative Multi Band Imaging research between The Met and CPM. Ms. Mukherjee and Ms. Shah also toured several conservation labs at The Met, including those specializing in textiles, objects, scientific research, paintings, and paper. These visits offered opportunities for meaningful dialogue with conservators and an up-close look at ongoing projects.

Beyond The Met, they visited the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library conservation centre, and the Yale University Art Gallery. At the Brooklyn Museum, they explored the conservation lab with museum conservators and toured galleries accompanied by curator Joan Cummins, viewing paintings linked to preparatory drawings held at City Palace Museum. The Yale Art Gallery visit introduced them to various treatments on paper, paintings, and ivory, and they had the opportunity to examine unframed paintings in the museum's collection with curators. Their tour concluded with an insightful discussion with Yale's Chief Conservator about restoration techniques for severely damaged paintings.

From 28th May 2025, Ms. Mukherjee and Ms. Shah traveled to Minneapolis to attend the 53rd AIC Annual Meeting. There, they presented a poster, "Joining Hands for Heritage: Story of The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, India." The ongoing collaborative project on Multi Band Imaging with The Met was featured as "The Joint Study of Udaipur Court Paintings through Multiband Imaging: A Partnership between The City Palace Museum in Udaipur and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York," presented by Marina Ruiz Molina and Bhasha Shah. Both their presentation and poster were warmly received, providing valuable opportunities to network with fellow conservators and museum professionals from across the United States.

Ms. Mukherjee and Ms. Shah now look forward to advancing current and proposed collaborative projects with US institutions. They are eager to apply their newly acquired knowledge to the functioning of the City Palace Museum Conservation Lab and to share these learnings with their colleagues.