In situ preservation
Also called: In situ · Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"
Meaning
In situ is Latin for "on the spot". In situ preservation means keeping monuments and sculptures where they were found, instead of moving them to museums. H.H. Cole, Curator of Ancient Monuments from 1880, argued for it. He wanted museums to hold plaster-cast copies, made from moulds, instead of the originals. The idea matters because a sculpture loses much of its meaning when it is cut away from its building.
Example
Sanchi's stupa and gateways in Madhya Pradesh still stand in place, because foreign collectors accepted plaster casts. Amaravati's carvings, by contrast, were taken to Madras, Calcutta and London.
Related concepts
- Elliot marbles
- Indian Museum, Calcutta
- Preservation of Sanchi
- Shahjehan Begum
- Sultan Jehan Begum
- H.H. Cole
- Treasure Trove Act
- Rajendra Lala Mitra
- European views of Indian art
- Arjuna's Penance