A Pigment made from a resin applied to the exterior of Egyptian mummies is just one of the 2,500 samples from the Forbes Pigment Collection at Harvard Art Museum. Dr Narayan Khandekar, senior conservation scientist and director of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums, will discuss the science of pigments and the role they play in art conservation, at a Mumbai museum today. Edited excerpts from an interview:

What is the importance of a pigment library in art conservation?
A work of art can tell many stories. One of them could be about the image depicted, another, of its place in history, and yet another about the materials the artist chose to make it from, and so on. A work of art is a series of decisions, the choice of pigments being one of them. Understanding that choice (as well as others, like the choice of medium, support, varnish, etc.) gives us a glimpse into how the artist thought, even if they are long dead. In addition, pigments can be used to date a work of art, help with attribution and authentication, and indicate what it may have looked like, if we understand how a pigment changes over time.