According to the sources, the main cause of the damage to the mural was high internal temperature of the museum and its exposure to direct sunlight which damaged the canvases.

LAHORE: A priceless mural by Sadequain, ‘Evolution of Mankind’, which adorned the ceiling of Miniature Painting Gallery of the Lahore Museum for about 40 years is falling a victim to official neglect and unprofessional storage carried out in complete disregard of international standards, sources told Dawn.

According to the sources, not only the storage of the mural lacks environmental conditions conducive to safe keeping of such pieces of art but flaws in its packing have also left it vulnerable to decay. The procedures adopted for storage of the artwork did not meet the recommended criteria, they added.

Sadequain started painting the mural in 1972 and completed it in 1973 and it was fixed in the ceiling of the gallery the same year with an expenditure of around Rs77,000.

The mural fixed at a height of 37 feet comprises 48 canvas panels, each measuring 6x8 feet.

In 2001, the traces of decay and damage were first noticed in the mural when it was still fixed in the gallery’s ceiling. With the passage of time, the mural’s condition kept deteriorating but unavailability of qualified restorers in Pakistan hampered its restoration.

The dismantling of mural took four months (March 2010 to June 2010) and since then it has been lying in the storage.

The process of mural’s restoration was initiated under the supervision of two Indian restorers Srikumar Menon and Manindra Singh Gill, who visited Pakistan in 2006 and conducted a two-week workshop here to train a team of local artists to assist them in the project. However, because of some administrative issues the project could not be executed.

According to the sources, the main cause of the damage to the mural was high internal temperature of the museum and its exposure to direct sunlight which damaged the canvases.

The sources say that because of negligence of former restoration and conservation project manager Waseem Ahmed and the unprofessional storage the mural was damaged.

Hafiz Abdul Azeem, the new in charge of Conservation Laboratories, Lahore Museum, in his report, has pointed out the areas left unattended in mural’s storage at the Manuscript Gallery of the Lahore Museum.

However, Waseem Ahmed denied the allegation, terming it propaganda. He claimed that he carried out his job with great care and responsibility. He said the report on the mural’s condition had been prepared before its storage. He said the panels were cleaned, termite removed from them and they were wrapped in polythene before their storage.

The sources, however, said environmental aspect of conservation was totally ignored when the Manuscript Gallery was suggested as storage facility for the mural.

According to international standards for such storages, the internal temperature of such a facility should be around 18 to 24 degrees centigrade whereas the current temperature of the storage is 32 to 37 degrees centigrade. According to experts, by July the temperature will rise further, reaching over 40 degrees C. They say that sudden temperature changes may also result in flaking off of the paint of the mural. The experts recommend installation of hydro-thermo data logger in the Manuscript Gallery to ensure safe storage of the artwork.

The sources say that after mice were spotted in the gallery, mousetraps were installed there to save the mural panels from harm. They suggest that all possible channels from where mice could enter the gallery should be plugged.

Experts have also objected to wrapping the mural panels in polythene sheets as it produces a micro climate with anaerobic conditions. This blocks breathing and accelerates the rate of paintings’ decomposition, they add.

They say the required level of care was not undertaken while cloaking the panels in polythene. For example, they say, at edges of the panels excess plastic had been turned instead of trimming it. With the passage of time, the force exerted by these pads of folded plastic weakened the grip of sticky tapes used for sealing the panels. Therefore, the tapes lost their stickiness and panels became unsealed. This allows insects, pests and moisture contents to come in direct contact with the paint layers and canvases, accelerating the decay, they add.