Orgyen Marble Lion

ARG Conservation Services was contacted by Ogyen Dorje Den Tibetan Buddhist temple in December 2015, to propose a conservation treatment for the lion sculpture seated on the right side of the main entry, located at 2244 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501. The marble lion is one of two that flank the main entrance to the temple. It is decoratively painted and sits on a marble base.

At the time of the initial visit, the sculpture was lying on the ground after being hit by a car. The impact displaced the lion and its base, causing the two pieces to collapse and hit each other, resulting in major areas of chips and loss due to the fragility of the stone material. Damage also included scratches and abrasion marks on areas with painted decoration.

ARG Conservation Services proposed a conservation treatment encompassing structural stabilization and aesthetic integration; this included: overall cleaning, reattachment of existing chipped pieces of marble, filling/sculpting of missing areas, and detailed color integration (in-painting). ARG/CS performed the work in compliance with OSHA standards and the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the AIC (American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, 1994).