A case study on the ethical considerations for an intervention upon a Tibetan religious sculpture

Abstract

The case study of an intervention carried out on a fourteenth‐century Tibetan Buddhist sculpture in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, UK, is provided for consideration of the ethical concerns involved. The particular approach taken at the V&A is presented as an opportunity to consider the treatment of sacred material within one type of museum collection in a particular cultural setting. The repercussions of working within the framework of a decorative arts museum, such as the V&A, are discussed. Ethical guidelines from the V&A, the United Kingdom Institute for Conservation (UKIC), the New Zealand Professional Conservators’ Group (NZPCG) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) are reviewed, providing a focus for discussing the treatment of intangible aspects of such sacred objects in differing contexts. The case study is presented as an example of the difficulty of deciding on an ethical approach for the treatment of spiritually significant objects removed from their original context.

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