Antiquity and art treasure

The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 was enacted with an objective to control the export
business in the treasures of antiquities and sculptures, to avoid smuggling and fraudulent
commercial activities in the antiques, to necessarily acquire antiquities and sculpture for
conservation and for other issues related with the subject.

The Act defines the term ‘antiquity’ as any sculpture, coin, epigraphs of images, other crafts and
art or piece of writing, things or articles separated from caves or structures or the articles, things
etc which represents science, expertise, literature, tradition, religion and political affairs from the
olden ages. It further includes articles or things of historical importance, the objects affirmed by
the Central government as antique which is in subsistence for hundred or more years and any
scripts or documents of historical or scientific value which subsisted for seventy five years and
more.

An ‘art treasure’ according to the Act means the works that are not antiquity and acknowledged
by the Central government by publicizing in the Gazette considering the creative or aesthetic
importance. The Act makes it unlawful except the Central Government or the authorized person
to export the objects that are historic or art treasure. The Central Government or authorized person
shall export the antiquity only as per the stipulations and terms of permit provided by the prescribed
authority.

The export of the antiquity shall be guided by The Customs Act of 1962 which prohibits such
export. After six months from the implementation of the Act, the conducting of business like
selling any article of historical importance is prohibited except in accordance with the terms of
license issued under the Act.

Reference : http://asi.nic.in/pdf_data/8.pdf (Archaeological Survey of India)

Why are art treasures important and how can we protect them?

Art Treasures are significant as they add to the existing narratives on history through conventional
and unconventional sources- providing varied perspective
Art Treasures could belong to any period- and add to the rich array of information on any period
that we wish to study about- however, there is a need to be cautious while handling these art
treasures like all other historical sources. There is a need to convert a one off visitor into a dedicated
supporter of conservation.

Millennials are interested in celebrating heritage, but often on a hyper-local basis. While the term
technically describes anyone from a 19-year-old university student to young parents in their
thirties, and is frequently used as a catch-all label for the ‘youth market’, millennials are a
heterogeneous lot. With the right insight into this key demographic, heritage professionals can
leverage digital technologies and lift their placemaking plans into the 21st century – and beyond.
Modern lives are fragmented and communities atomised: heritage can add value through digital
placemaking that draws out feelings of belonging and togetherness.
These objects are art are fragile and need to be protected for purposes of posterity. If objects of art
need to travel far and wide, all objects should be assessed by conservators before hand to see
whether or not they are stable enough to travel, and, if they are particularly fragile then one has to
decide what needs to be done in order to transport them safely.

For conservation of art treasures, museums all over the world take special measures.

“the website of the British Museum discusses the processes it employs to ensure the protection
of its art treasures. A detailed photographic record is made of each object so that its condition can
be carefully monitored as it journeys from London to its intended venue. Our photographers also
create stunning, high quality images of each object which will be used to illustrate the exhibition
catalogue and other publicity material promoting the exhibition. Our curators write or contribute
towards the accompanying text for the catalogue, information panels, and object labels helping to
tell the individual stories of each artefact, setting them in the relevant context of the exhibition’s
theme. Our museum assistant and heavy object handling teams make the individual mounts which
are used to support the objects while on display, and they will also attend to the careful packing
which ensures each object reaches its destination safely. Parallel to all this activity there’s plenty
of communication passing back and forth between the shipping agent, the borrower, and the British
Museum as our project team liaise with all partners in order to ensure the exhibition is a success.”

For eg. art treasures from the Mughal Empire are given additional protection.

reference : https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/30/art-treasures-of-mughal-
empire

Why are art treasures important and how can we protect them?

References : https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jii/4750978.0008.307/--art-treasures-and-social-
transitions?rgn=main;view=fulltext

http://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/blogs/guide-creating-heritage-experiences-will-attract-
millennials/

http://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/features/transporting-treasures-the-art-of-transporting-
ancient-artefacts-around-the/