Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters Conservation Lab

Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters Conservation Lab
Name	Cloisters Conservation Lab
Established	1938
Location	Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan, New York City
Type	Conservation laboratory
Parent	Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters Conservation Lab

The Cloisters Conservation Lab is the conservation unit housed within the medieval galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan. It serves as a specialized center for the preservation of medieval and early Renaissance artifacts associated with the Cloisters collection, collaborating with institutions such as the Morgan Library & Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Princeton University Art Museum, the Frick Collection, and the National Gallery of Art. The lab operates at the intersection of curatorial practice, technical study, and public outreach alongside organizations like the American Institute for Conservation, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Smithsonian Institution.

History and Development

The lab’s origins trace to the 1930s under the aegis of directors including Robert W. DeForest and curators influenced by patrons such as John D. Rockefeller Jr. and architects like Charles Collens. Early development involved transfers from collections formerly dispersed across the Metropolitan Museum of Art and private holdings belonging to collectors like George Grey Barnard and George Washington Vanderbilt II. Postwar expansion connected the lab to conservation advancements pioneered at centers such as the Courtauld Institute of Art and the British Museum. During the late 20th century, directors influenced by conservators trained at the Cooperstown Graduate Programs and the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University integrated scientific partnerships with laboratories at Columbia University, Yale University, and Harvard University. Major milestones include collaborations on loans with the Musée de Cluny, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Prado Museum, and the Louvre Museum.

Facilities and Laboratory Techniques

The Cloisters Conservation Lab comprises treatment rooms, environmental monitoring suites, and microscopy stations equipped for work on stone, metal, textile, and painted surfaces. Instruments include stereomicroscopes from manufacturers used by the Smithsonian Institution, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometers similar to systems at the Getty Conservation Institute, and portable X-ray fluorescence units comparable to equipment at the Field Museum of Natural History. The lab utilizes condition mapping protocols developed in tandem with teams from the Metropolitan Museum of Art scientific research department and standards promoted by the American Institute for Conservation. Treatment techniques reference methodologies practiced at the National Gallery, London, the Rijksmuseum, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Collections and Conservation Projects

The lab treats objects across the Cloisters holdings, including stone capitals from cloistered monasteries, polychrome wood carvings, medieval tapestries comparable to those conserved at the Bayeux Tapestry Conservators, and illuminated manuscripts akin to holdings at the Morgan Library & Museum. Notable projects have included stabilization of sculptures linked to the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, textile campaigns paralleling work at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and conservation of reliquaries related to artifacts in the Treasury of San Isidoro. The lab has handled loans with the Museo Nacional del Prado, condition surveys for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and integrated treatment plans coordinated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art curatorial departments for major exhibitions featuring loans from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Research and Scientific Methods

Scientific inquiry at the lab draws on imaging techniques used by researchers at MIT, analytical protocols from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and pigment identification methods employed by teams at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Studies incorporate dendrochronology collaborations with specialists from the University of Oxford, radiocarbon dating arrangements with the University of Arizona, and stable isotope analysis in line with practices at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Conservation science projects have been published in venues associated with the Getty Research Institute, the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, and collaborative reports with the British Museum scientific department.

Public Programs and Education

The lab supports public-facing initiatives including visible conservation programs reminiscent of studios at the Frick Collection and lecture series in partnership with the Graduate Center, CUNY and the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Educational internships align with curricula at the Cooperstown Graduate Programs, the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, and the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts. Special exhibitions and demonstrations coordinate with outreach teams from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and joint workshops with the American Academy in Rome and the Medieval Academy of America.

Staff and Collaborations

Staff includes conservators trained at institutions such as the Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at Harvard, curators who have served at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and scientific advisors with affiliations to Columbia University and the Weill Cornell Medicine research community. The lab collaborates with international partners including the Musée de Cluny, the Rijksmuseum, and the Vatican Museums, and participates in grant-funded projects from funders like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Cross-disciplinary teams have included conservators, curators, art historians, and scientists formerly associated with the Princeton University Art Museum, the British Library, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Category:Conservation laboratories Category:Medieval art conservation Category:Metropolitan Museum of Art