Art meets science: Federico Carò of The Met on studying and preserving Indian artworks

Federico Carò, a research scientist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, studies South Indian Buddhist sculptures and Gupta-period bronze-casting techniques. Science reveals aspects of art that are otherwise difficult to uncover. By investigating how artworks are made, for instance, scientific analysis encourages us to understand art not simply as the impulse of a royal or religious patron but also the work of an artisan. It thus probes a range of humanistic concerns in the production, circulation, and preservation of art. Published - November 13, 2026 04:21 pm IST