H.H. Cole
Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"
Meaning
H.H. Cole was a British official who became Curator of Ancient Monuments in 1880. He called the looting of original Indian art "suicidal and indefensible". He argued that museums should keep plaster-cast facsimiles, exact copies made from moulds, while the originals stay in situ, meaning on the spot where they were found. His idea became an early milestone of Indian heritage conservation.
Example
Cole's idea came too late for Amaravati, whose sculptures had already been carried away. It did succeed at Sanchi: the French and the English took plaster casts of its eastern gateway instead of the gateway itself.
Don't confuse with
- Alexander Cunningham: the archaeologist who surveyed Sanchi and published Bhilsa Topes (1854). Cole is remembered for arguing that originals should stay in place.
Related concepts
- Elliot marbles
- Indian Museum, Calcutta
- Preservation of Sanchi
- Shahjehan Begum
- Sultan Jehan Begum
- In situ preservation
- Treasure Trove Act
- Rajendra Lala Mitra
- European views of Indian art
- Arjuna's Penance