Paramasivan standing third from left with Sir C. V. Raman and others, c. 1929

S. Paramasivan (1903 – 15 May 1987) was an Indian chemist who served at the Madras Museum and at the Archaeological Survey of India as an archaeological chemist and was a pioneer of electrolytic restoration of bronze artefacts and chemical conservation techniques. He studied ancient painting techniques, metallurgy, and investigated some applications of nuclear physics in archaeology.

Life and work

Paramasivan was born near Thanjavur and was the son of R. Subramanya Aiyar. He went to school in Madras and received a BA in physics from St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli apart from a BSc in chemistry from Nizam's College, Hyderabad. He then taught at a college in Madanapalli and still later in Sri Lanka. He returned to Madras University to pursue a master's degree in chemistry. He then spent some time at the IACS in Calcutta working with Sir C.V. Raman on chemical problems.[1][2][3] In 1930, the Government Museum in Madras headed by F. H. Gravely was concerned about the deterioration of bronze artefacts in the collection. Gravely consulted William Erlam Smith of the Presidency College who suggested Paramasivan to work on electrolytic restoration. Paramasivan then set about setting up a conservation laboratory at the museum and worked out a technique for electrolytic restoration based on experiments and studies of earlier approaches including those by Colin G. Fink of the Metropolitan Museum in New York.[4][5] Paramasivan also worked on chemical preservation techniques for paintings at the Brihadeeshwara Temple on the request of J. F. Blakiston, then director of the Archaeological Survey of India. The report of his work which included analyses of the painting techniques was read by Rutherford J. Gettens at the Freer Gallery who suggested that he publish a note to Nature.[6][7] He followed this with more studies on wall paintings in India[8][9][10][11] and produced a thesis on Chemical investigation of Ancient Indian Materials and Industries (1940) for which he received a DSc from Madras University. In 1946 he was transferred to the Archaeological Survey of India as an Assistant Archaeological Chemist and soon headed the chemical laboratory for the South Zone headquarters in Hyderabad. He was involved in conservation work of the wall paintings across India including those at Ajanta and Ellora. He standardized the descriptions of colours of paintings using British Standard colour cards. He retired in 1959 but continued to work, examining methods for study of materials at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. He conducted studies on thermoluminescence dating of pottery and also attempted using proton magnetometric surveys to detect underground objects. Experimental surveys were conducted at Kambaramedu and at Kaveripatnam. With the Oil and Natural Gas Commission he also examined marine archaeology techniques. His most significant work after retirement however was on fingerprinting techniques for South Indian bronzes to use for forensic applications.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

References

  1. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1931). "Specific Heat in Relation to Raman Effect Data" (PDF). Indian Journal of Physics. 6: 413–420.
  2. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1941). "Investigations on ancient indian metallurgy: I. A pre-historic bronze bowl". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section A. 13 (2): 87–93. doi:10.1007/BF03048817. ISSN 0370-0089. S2CID 112822096.
  3. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1929). "The Anomalous Diamagnetism of Graphite" (PDF). Indian Journal of Physics. 4: 139–145.
  4. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1941). "Electrolytic restoration of bronze statues and inscribed copper-plates". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section A. 13 (1): 53–63. doi:10.1007/BF03052533. ISSN 0370-0089. S2CID 187788712.
  5. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1951). "The Chemical Laboratory in the Madras Government Museum". Centenary Souvenir 1851–1951: The Madras Government Museum. Madras: Government Press. pp. 103–106.
  6. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1938). "Technique of the Painting Process in the Kailasanatha and Vaikunthaperumal Temples at Kanchipuram". Nature. 142 (3599): 757. Bibcode:1938Natur.142..757P. doi:10.1038/142757a0. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 4081401.
  7. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1937). "Technique of the Painting Process in the Cave Temple at Sittannavasal". Nature. 139 (3507): 114. Bibcode:1937Natur.139..114P. doi:10.1038/139114a0. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 4107755.
  8. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1939). "The Pallava paintings at Conjeevaram - an investigation into the methods". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section A. 10 (2): 77–84. doi:10.1007/BF03170992. S2CID 187178050.
  9. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1938). "Technique of the painting process in the temple of Vijayalaya Cholisvaram in the Pudukottai State" (PDF). Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section A. 7 (4): 282–292. doi:10.1007/BF03045400. S2CID 190031516.
  10. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1939). "Technique of the painting process in the rock-cut temples at Badami". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section A. 10 (3): 145. doi:10.1007/BF03170432. ISSN 0370-0089. S2CID 189228933.
  11. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1939). "An investigation into the methods of the mural paintings". Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art. 7: 18–38.
  12. ↑ Raj, B.; Rajagopalan, C.; Sundaram, C.V. (2000). Where Gods Come Alive. A Monograph on the Bronze Icons of South India. Vigyan Prasar. pp. xvii–xxi.
  13. ↑ Balachandran, Sanchita (2019). "Transformative Spaces: Dr. S. Paramasivan and Conservation Science in India in the Early Twentieth Century". Studies in Conservation. 64 (1): 24–41. doi:10.1080/00393630.2018.1433002. ISSN 0039-3630. S2CID 192423585.
  14. ↑ Balachandran, Sanchita (2020). "Malignant Patina: A Love Story". West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture. 27 (1): 73–91. doi:10.1086/711190. ISSN 2153-5531. S2CID 225086665.
  15. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1942). "Metallography of Indo-Greek bronze coins from Taxila" (PDF). Current Science. 11 (5): 190–192. ISSN 0011-3891.
  16. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1940). "Investigations on ancient Indian metallurgy. 1. a pre-historic bronze bowl" (PDF). Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section A. 13 (2): 87–93. doi:10.1007/BF03048817. S2CID 112822096.
  17. ↑ Paramasivan, S. (1944). "Classification of Pre-historic sites in India" (PDF). Current Science. 13 (12): 303–307. JSTOR 24215004.
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