Revealing the Origin: The Secrets of Textile Fragments Hidden Inside the 19th Century Chasuble from Dubrovnik.

Danijela Jemo,Djurdjica Parac-Osterman

doi:10.3390/ma14164650

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis carried out during the textile conservation–restoration process with the goal to reveal the secrets of textile fragments hidden inside the 19th century chasuble from Dubrovnik. The discovered textile fragments were investigated by modern instrumental methods and compared with the original textile from the 19th century set of liturgical vestments, which the chasuble belongs to. In addition, all other old repairs and treatments on the chasuble that had significant impact on the historic textile over time were investigated and assessed. The polymer type of the fibres was established by microscopic examination and infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy. A comparison of type of fibres and textile construction parameters, both from fragments and from the original textile, was carried out in order to determine their possible associations. Based on UV-Vis and HPLC identification of chemical composition of dyes in extracts from textile fibres, both from textile fragments, old repairs and authentic historic textile, it was possible to designate some common characteristics of dyes as important factors in determining its authenticity.

Highlights

This paper presents the analysis carried out during the textile conservation–restoration process with the goal to reveal the secrets of textile fragments hidden inside the 19th century chasuble from Dubrovnik
The analysis provided data on the chemical composition of each dye present in the sample to confirm dye sources used as colorants on the investigated historical textile materials
Analyses were carried out on warp and weft samples derived from the original textile fabric (Chasuble and Velum, Table 1a,b), from fragments (Fragment 1 and 2, Table 1c,d) as well as from sewing threads of old repairs (Table 1e)

Summary

Introduction

This paper presents the analysis carried out during the textile conservation–restoration process with the goal to reveal the secrets of textile fragments hidden inside the 19th century chasuble from Dubrovnik. All other old repairs and treatments on the chasuble that had significant impact on the historic textile over time were investigated and assessed. A comparison of type of fibres and textile construction parameters, both from fragments and from the original textile, was carried out in order to determine their possible associations. Based on UV-Vis and HPLC identification of chemical composition of dyes in extracts from textile fibres, both from textile fragments, old repairs and authentic historic textile, it was possible to designate some common characteristics of dyes as important factors in determining its authenticity. In the absence of valid documentation and origin data, textiles must be defined relying on their specific design and patterns, decoration, fabric types and weaves, dyes, through iconography, modern ethnographic surveys and contemporary scientific analysis [2,4,5].

Objectives

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Conclusion