FUSION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE AND AI IN SCULPTURAL REPRODUCTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v6.i4s.2025.6862Keywords:
Cultural Heritage Preservation, AI-Driven Reconstruction, Generative Models, 3D Scanning, Neural Rendering, Sculptural ReproductionAbstract [English]
Cultural heritage and artificial intelligence have brought art reproduction to a new level of sophistication, which is data-driven and capable of rendering a sculpture with a high level of accuracy, interpretability, and preservation value. Manual production and interpretation has been the main source of traditional sculptural replication that caused inconsistency and restrictions in restoring fragmented or eroded artifacts. Recent developments of 3D scanning, photogrammetry, multispectral imaging, and archival digitization have allowed the high-resolution acquisition of geometric, textural, and material characteristics that make strong datasets to be used in computational reconstructions. In this paper, a deep learning architecture, generative, and shape-completion networks, are combined to achieve a unified framework that can be used to improve sculptural restoration workflows. AI-based approaches facilitate automated derivation of features, the identification of historical motifs and the forecastive modeling of missing or degenerated areas on the context-sensitive basis. Neural rendering also enhances the recovery of texture in order to generate material properties that are in line with the known cultural aesthetics. The hybrid digital-physical pipeline suggested in this paper will include the use of both automatic reconstructing and manual handover by artisan knowledgeable input, which will guarantee the appropriateness of the cultures and the faithfulness of the style. The technologies of additive manufacturing, robotic milling, and high-precision fabrication allow the physical implementation of the models created by AI and preserve the integrity of structures and visual quality. There is a multi-criteria fidelity assessment model which is based on geometric accuracy, visual realism, historical validity and material coherence.
References
Acke, L., De Vis, K., Verwulgen, S., and Verlinden, J. (2020). Survey and Literature Study to Provide Insights on the Application of 3D Technologies in Objects Conservation and Restoration. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 49, 272–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2020.12.003
Chen, Y., and García, F. L. D. B. (2022). Análisis Constructivo y Reconstrucción Digital 3D de las Ruinas del Antiguo Palacio de Verano de Pekín (Yuanmingyuan): El Pabellón de la Paz Universal (Wanfanganhe). Virtual Archaeology Review, 13, 1–16.
Cliggett, L., and Pedersen, L. (2021). The SAGE Handbook of Cultural Anthropology. SAGE: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 1–640.
Ghaith, K., and Hutson, J. (2024). A Qualitative Study on the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Cultural Heritage Conservation. Metaverse, 5, 2654.
He, Y., Ma, Y. H., and Zhang, X. R. (2017). “Digital Heritage” Theory and Innovative Practice. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, XLII‑2/W5, 335–342.
Heersmink, R. (2023). Materialised Identities: Cultural Identity, Collective Memory, and Artifacts. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 14, 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-022-00686-0
Hou, Y., Kenderdine, S., Picca, D., Egloff, M., and Adamou, A. (2022). Digitizing Intangible Cultural Heritage Embodied: State of the Art. Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 15, 55. https://doi.org/10.1145/3487351
Khan, Z. (2024). AI and Cultural Heritage Preservation in India. International Journal of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, 20, 131–138.
Leshkevich, T., and Motozhanets, A. (2022). Social Perception of Artificial Intelligence and Digitization of Cultural Heritage: Russian Context. Applied Sciences, 12, 2712. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052712
Li, F., Gao, Y., Candeias, A. J. E. G., and Wu, Y. (2023). Virtual Restoration System for 3D Digital Cultural Relics Based on a Fuzzy Logic Algorithm. Systems, 11, 374. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11070374
Rinaldi, A. M., Russo, C., and Tommasino, C. (2022). An Augmented Reality CBIR System Based on Multimedia Knowledge Graph and Deep Learning Techniques in Cultural Heritage. Computers, 11, 172. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers11080172
Song, S. (2023). New Era for Dunhuang Culture Unleashed by Digital Technology. International Core Journal of Engineering, 9, 1–14.
Takimoto, H., Omori, F., and Kanagawa, A. (2021). Image Aesthetics Assessment Based on Multi-Stream CNN Architecture and Saliency Features. Applied Artificial Intelligence, 35, 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/08839514.2020.1765506
Xu, Z., Yang, Y., Fang, Q., Chen, W., Xu, T., Liu, J., and Wang, Z. (2024). A Comprehensive Dataset for Digital Restoration of Dunhuang Murals. Scientific Data, 11, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03068-1
Ye, J. (2022). The Application of Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Digital Humanities: Applying to Dunhuang Culture Inheritance, Development, and Innovation. Journal of Computer Science and Technology Studies, 4, 31–38.
Zhong, H., Wang, L., and Zhang, H. (2021). The Application of Virtual Reality Technology in the Digital Preservation of Cultural Heritage. Computer Science and Information Systems, 18, 535–551.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Jyoti Saini, Dr. N. Srinivasan, Fehmina Khalique, Shailesh Solanki, Kalpana Munjal, J. P. Yadav, Rajesh Raikwar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.























