Description
The records consist of administrative records, project field materials, project reports, and conference-, publication-, and
exhibition-related materials all concerning the Getty Conservation Institute's field project for the conservation of the bas-reliefs
of the Royal Palaces of Abomey in the Republic of Benin, West Africa. Project records date from 1994 to 2000 and supplemental
reference materials date from 1845 to the 1990s.
Background
The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) works to advance conservation practice in the visual arts, broadly interpreted to include
objects, collections, architecture, and sites. It serves the conservation community through scientific research, education
and training, model field projects, and the broad dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others
in the field. In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and dissemination of knowledge that will benefit the professionals
and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world's cultural heritage. The work of the Institute is carried
out in four main areas: education, field projects, science, and communications.In the mid-1990s, the Getty Conservation Institute and the West African Republic of Benin's Department of Cultural Patrimony
worked together to conserve fifty severely damaged bas-relief panels that once adorned the Salle des Bijoux (Hall of Jewels)
in the Historic Museum at the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a World Heritage Site. Abomey was the cultural hub of the Kingdom of
Dahomey from 1695-1900. The bas-reliefs are thought to be the oldest surviving elements of the Royal Palaces, a group of earthen
structures built by the Fon people between the mid-17th and late-19th centuries.
Extent
31.7 linear feet
(46 boxes)
Restrictions
Contact
Library Rights and Reproductions at the Getty Research Institute for copyright information and permission to publish.
Availability
With the exception of materials that have been marked restricted or confidential, the records described in accession 2013.IA.28
are available for use by qualified researchers. Project administration records (Series V) are closed.