Buddhist Mural Conservation in Bhutan

Buddhist mural conservation in Bhutan encompasses the scientific study, documentation, and preservation of wall paintings found in the kingdom's temples, monasteries, and dzong fortresses. The most significant conservation initiative to date was a three-year research project (2008–2010) led by the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, in collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Royal Government of Bhutan. Wall painting conservators Lisa Shekede and Stephen Rickerby directed the fieldwork, which constituted the first comprehensive scientific investigation of Bhutanese mural painting traditions.^[1]

Bhutan's wall paintings represent an extraordinary and largely unstudied artistic heritage. Spanning from the medieval period to the present, they adorn the interiors of hundreds of sacred buildings across the kingdom, depicting Buddhist deities, mandalas, hagiographic narratives, and cosmological diagrams. Many of these murals have never been documented or subjected to scientific analysis, and their conservation poses unique challenges owing to Bhutan's monsoon climate, the remoteness of many temple sites, and the ongoing liturgical use of the buildings they inhabit.^[2]

Fieldwork and Methodology

The Courtauld project was granted unprecedented access by the Royal Government of Bhutan to survey sacred sites across the kingdom. Over three field seasons, Shekede and Rickerby visited more than 40 temples, monasteries, and fortress complexes along Bhutan's main east–west highway and in more remote valleys. The scope of access was exceptional: many of the sites had never previously been studied by foreign researchers, and some contained murals that even local scholars had not systematically documented.^[1]

The research methodology combined in-situ documentation with laboratory-based materials analysis. In the field, the team recorded wall paintings through detailed photography and condition mapping, noting patterns of deterioration including flaking, salt crystallisation, moisture damage, and losses caused by inappropriate past restorations. More than 100 stratigraphic paint samples — tiny cross-sections taken from areas of existing damage — were collected for subsequent analysis at the Courtauld's laboratories in London.^[2]

Laboratory analysis employed optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and pigment identification techniques to determine the material composition of paint layers, ground preparations, and binding media. These investigations revealed the range of pigments historically used in Bhutanese murals — including mineral pigments such as azurite, malachite, cinnabar, and orpiment alongside organic dyes and more recent synthetic pigments — and provided insights into how painting techniques evolved across different periods and regions.^[3]

Key Findings

The Courtauld study substantially expanded scholarly understanding of Bhutanese mural painting traditions, which had previously received scant scientific attention. Among the project's key findings were the identification of distinct regional painting schools, differences in technical practice between western and eastern Bhutan, and evidence of multiple campaigns of painting and repainting within individual temples — sometimes spanning several centuries.^[2]

The research also documented the conservation challenges facing Bhutan's murals. These include water infiltration through deteriorating roofs; salt migration through rammed earth and stone walls; damage from smoke, soot, and butter lamp residue in actively used temples; and the well-intentioned but often destructive practice of repainting murals as an act of religious merit. The latter poses a particular dilemma: in Bhutanese Buddhist tradition, refreshing sacred images is considered a pious act, yet it can result in the irreversible concealment or destruction of older, historically significant painting layers beneath.^[3]

Swiss and International Collaboration

Switzerland has maintained a long-standing development partnership with Bhutan, and Swiss organisations including Helvetas have supported various cultural heritage initiatives in the kingdom. The Helvetas-funded Bhutan Swiss Archaeological Project, established in 2007, undertook the first scientific excavation at Drapham Dzong in Bumthang, demonstrating the broader Swiss commitment to Bhutanese heritage preservation that complemented the Courtauld's wall painting research.^[4]

Publications and Legacy

The findings of the Courtauld project have been disseminated through academic publications, including Shekede and Rickerby's contributions to volumes on Himalayan art conservation. Their work, notably "New Approaches to Conserving the Wall Painting Heritage of Bhutan," established a scientific baseline for future conservation planning and advocated for the development of a national conservation strategy that respects both the material significance and the living religious function of Bhutan's mural heritage.^[2]

The project's legacy extends beyond scholarship. By training Bhutanese staff from the Department of Culture in documentation and sampling techniques, and by generating the first comprehensive materials database for Bhutanese wall paintings, the Courtauld collaboration laid the groundwork for a more systematic, evidence-based approach to mural conservation in the kingdom — one that balances scientific rigour with respect for the traditional arts and spiritual values that these paintings embody.^[5]

References

1. "Courtauld Conservation Experts Undertake New Research of Wall Paintings in Bhutan." ArtListings.
2. Shekede, L. and Rickerby, S. "New approaches to conserving the wall painting heritage of Bhutan." ResearchGate.
3. "Buddhist wall paintings of Bhutan: material traditions and conservation realities." Academia.edu.
4. "40 Years On – Helvetas Bhutan." Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.
5. "Previous Fieldwork Projects." The Courtauld Institute of Art.
6. "Publications." Rickerby and Shekede Wall Painting Conservation.