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The golden touch

Crowning Glory
Last Updated 28 May 2016, 18:35 IST

Similar to events in the year 1988, when the Tata Group first launched Indica, India’s very own car, it has yet again set an example by spearheading India’s first ever finial gilding in heritage conservation, at the 16th century Humayun’s Tomb, a World Heritage Site in New Delhi, as part of the Nizamuddin urban renewal project.

The Nizamuddin urban renewal project, a public-private partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the Government of India, is one of the world’s largest conservation projects spanning over an area of 300 acres in the heart of Delhi. The Tatas, co-owners of Titan Company Ltd, headquartered in Bengaluru, are known for their patronage of art and culture in India. They have undertaken this conservation effort as part of Titan’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Fall & rise

The Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi was crowned by a finial that rose 6 m above the marble dome. A sandstorm in the summer of 2014 caused the wooden salwood pole that held the finial together to collapse, which resulted in the finial collapsing onto the roof below. The damaged finial has been retained at the interpretation centre at Humayun’s Tomb. As the finial was the critical crowning member to the dome, it was unanimously opinioned by the Archaeological Survey of India and the AKTC that the finial would be reinstated after careful archival research. It was gilded with the benefaction of Titan, over a period of 3 months, and the 24-carat pure gold gilded finial was installed on April 19, 2016.

A 1912 image taken by the Mechanical Department, Thomason College Roorkee (Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee) shows the copper vessels of the old finial in a near-intact condition. After the collapse of the finial, a study was carried out to understand the material, structure and form of the member.

In an effort to retain the material authenticity of the finial, research was carried out on the metal composition of the original finial. The material was found to be 99.4% copper, which was gilded in gold. A search was then carried out to identify an appropriate supplier for 99.4% copper, as impurities in copper would set off deterioration in gold, and was eventually sourced in Gujarat. Making the finial replica using 99.4% pure copper, which was gilded in gold, ensured that the material was authentic to the original finial with respect to the historic composition of the metal used. It was then sent from Delhi to Bengaluru to be gilded at the jewellery division of Titan in Bengaluru.

The basic process for gilding was to take the moulded copper vessels of the finial, clean them systematically with appropriate cleansing agents, apply mercury to the vessel, and then apply the gold leaf onto mercury. Later, the vessel was heated to evaporate mercury and leave behind gold on copper.

The key parties involved were a group of traditional goldsmiths led by Shankar Kumar from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, skilled in the historic process of gilding copper; scientists and engineers from Titan, led by Prakash B S and Rajasekharan; and me, a conservation architect from AKTC. The involvement of traditional goldsmiths allowed for the continuity of the centuries-old traditional practice of gilding copper.

Process perfected

The key challenge in this process was to collaborate between the historic process that had been established by the craftsmen and the advanced technology that had been researched by Titan, which was specifically instrumental in refining the gilding process to ensure the durability and longevity of gilding. This was ensured by periodic testing of the gold layers on the vessels to ensure quality gilding. Video footage and activity notes taken at site have documented this process on a day-to-day basis for future research use.

The finial comprising 11 copper vessels, which was reinstated, was gilded with over 3 kg of pure gold. The conservation effort is the cherry on top of the 8-year-long, state-of-the-art conservation project undertaken by AKTC at Humayun’s Tomb, whose structural integrity has been restored with the reinstatement of the finial. A classic example by Titan of how CSR can be instrumental in heritage conservation in India.

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(Published 28 May 2016, 14:36 IST)

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