Historic Samples - Collection and Identification

7.1 Collection of historic samples

One of the primary aims of this research was to base the experimental work on conditions

that are as realistic as possible to the problems conservators and curators are facing with

historic textiles. That is why the methodology of the experimental procedure started with the

collection and identification of samples from historic textiles. The analysis and identification

of these samples gave information on the type of fibres, mordants and dyes used. This

information was used later on, in order to prepare new sampling material, as similar as

possible to the original. In this way the sampling material was unlimited and enough to do as

many tests as were needed to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of the inhibitors.

Also, by preparing new material similar to the old one, one is dealing more with the reality of

the problems that historic textiles are facing. As already mentioned, the dyestuffs and dye

combinations used as well as the selected mordant are factors affecting the light fastness

and in the case of historic textiles the situation is always more complicated. Until now the

stabilizing effect of any inhibitor was isolated to one dyestuff at a time and this is not what

one usually finds in a historic textile as proved later on.

7.1.a Origin of the historic samples

All original samples used in this research were collected from Greek museums in Athens that

own and display textile collections: the Museum of Greek Folk Art, the Byzantine and

Christian Museum of Athens and the Benaki Museum.

The Museum of Greek Folk Art has one of the richest historic textile collections from

16th to 20th century in Greece, consisting of traditional costumes, embroideries and

decorative art textile objects from all over the country. The Museum belongs to the state and

is under the Ministry of Culture. Founded in 1918 , it was firstly housed in a “tsami"(Ottoman

temple) and the collection was in display in this building until 1973, when it was transferred to

another more modem building in Plaka, at the centre of Athens. Records of the condition of

the objects as well as display conditions in the first building were not kept. Its traditional

embroidery and costume collection is considered to be the richest in Greece and it was the

first Greek museum to establish a textile conservation laboratory19.

The Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens is also a state museum, belonging

to the Ministry of Culture. It has one of the richest collections of Byzantine and post

Byzantine textiles, sacerdotal vestments and ecclesiastical textiles from 11th to 19th century.

It was founded in 1914 and it has been housed in the “llisia” mansion since 1930, in the

centre of Athens. The mansion is a building of 1848 and belonged to the Duchess of

Placendia. In recent years, a large extension of the museum was built in the form of

basements and buildings in part above ground. The Byzantine and Christian Museum has

owned conservation laboratories since the 1960s, which at that time covered the needs of

the whole country, as far as icon conservation was concerned. However, textile

conservation was introduced to the museum in the mid-nineties. No records of the former

condition of textile objects or display conditions are kept20.

The Benaki Museum is a private museum based on the private collection of one of

the richest Athenians, E. Benakis, born in Alexandria in 1873, and enriched after his death by

19more information on the museum and its collections can be found at web site: www.culture.gr 20 more information on the museum and its collections can be found at web site: www.culture.gr

donors and new purchases. Benakis began his collection in Alexandria and donated the

collection to the Greek state after his settlement in Athens in 1926. The main building of the

museum, where the collection was first housed, is the actual house of the collector, a

neoclassical building in the historic centre of the city, opposite the National Gardens and the

Presidential Palace. It holds a large collection of textiles from antiquity (Egyptian, Coptic and

Islamic) but also has a very important collection of folk art costumes and furnishing textiles

from 1453 (the fall of the Byzantine Empire), to the 19th century, as well as ecclesiastical

vestments and ceremonial textiles from the 16th century (when the Orthodox Church began

recovering from the Ottoman conquest) to the start of 20th century. The museum has a well

equipped textile conservation laboratory, among others, which is also relatively newly

established and no sufficient records of the former condition of the objects are available21.

7.1.b Sampling procedure

The criteria for selecting samples from historic objects from the three above mentioned

museums were as follows:

According to the selected methodology of this research, sampling was performed

only on objects containing fibres dyed in red shades. This decision was taken quite early as it

was soon realized that the complexity of the problems involving different coloured dyes on

historic textiles would be non-confrontable within the limits of this research. The selected

samples therefore were easily identified by macroscopic investigation during a visit to each

collection.

The second criterion was to choose samples of silk fibres only. The selection of

samples from silk objects and embroideries made by silk threads was done using

macroscopic methods, historical information on the selected objects and the advice of the

responsible curator or conservator of each collection. This choice was confirmed with fibre

identification methods later.

The last consideration on the choosing of sampling material was to cover as many

historic periods as possible and different locations around Greece, in order to investigate

possible changes in technology through time and differences in deterioration of the objects.

Under this scheme samples were taken from objects dated from 16th to 19th century

originating from different parts of the country.

The samples included silk threads from embroideries as well as pieces of silk fabric.

The sampling procedure was done under conservation restrictions and with the supervision

and help of the museum conservator. For every sample taken a specially made record card

(see Appendix A, section A1) was filled with information not only for the sample but for the

whole object too and any conservation treatment it had received. This information proved

helpful afterwards for the positive identification of fibres and dyes.

The sampling procedure was performed very carefully, by cutting away tiny pieces of

material from degraded parts and irregularities in the case of embroideries. The general

principle when sampling is to try to have enough samples to examine conveniently and yet

representative of the original material (Wiidman 1954). Still, when sampling is performed on

historic textile materials one is guided more on what the object itself wants to give. From the

textile pieces, which form the background of embroideries made with gold and silver threads,

small parts were cut away from the frayed edges or mechanically damaged areas, without

damaging the object. From each object two samples were detached where possible, one

from the front and one from the back side in order to investigate any changes caused by light

on the most exposed front side of the object. More detailed information for each sample

taken can be found in Table 7 that follows.

The area where each sample was taken was measured by tristimulus colour

measurements with the use of a Minolta CR-221 chromameter with light source C, a 3mm

diameter measuring area, and a 45° illumination angle. The meter was calibrated before

each measuring session using standard white plate. For each sampling area selected three

measurements were taken. The whole procedure is non destructive to the object. These

measurements were used later for comparison with newly prepared samples.

MuseumofFolkArtMuseumofFolkArt

Table 7. Fibre samples taken from historic textiles belonging to Greek museums in Athens and selected for further investigation

Museum Object no Object type Cat.no Date/ Origin Historical Information Conservation treatment

century

1 Shirt border 50 18* Crete This piece of clothing was used as a petticoat under special occasion Washing with deionised