In the context of Head of Bhairava, explore the Acquisition and restoration by the Met of the Description.
It was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (colloquially "the Met") in New York City from the private collection of Jack and Muriel Zimmerman in 2012. Before the Met conducted conservation work, the mask was missing its right ear. The left earring had been placed where the right ear was as a substitute. John Guy, curator of the South and Southeast Asian art at the Met, was among those who decided to restore the mask.They made a prototype of the ear with modeling clay, then made a silicone-rubber mold, using materials normally used in creating dental impressions. They then carefully tested and selected a new material that they believed would have a minimal chemical- and weight-impact on the rest of the mask. The material was made in a putty-like substance and put into the mold. After it dried, it was decorated and painted to aesthetically blend in with the rest of the mask.
dental impression New York City New York conservation work mask Metropolitan Museum of Art