A Textile Analysis of Woolen Tapestry Curtain in Seoul Museum of Craft Art

Abstract

A woolen tapestry curtain, owned by the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, is composed of tabby by cotton-warp and wool-weft threads and its patterned part is shown as a tapestry; paint with pigment has been added to it. The chromaticity of this curtain was measured and the substances in the deep red color were confirmed as Hg by an analysis of the ingredients through X-ray fluorescence. This is presumed to be cinnabar or vermilion. Analyses were performed on a total of seven fabric samples, including the warp & weft of the fabric, its trimming, and its back fabric. As a result, the warp of the woolen tapestry curtain was determined to be a cotton fiber with a middle hole or lumen in the cross-section. Furthermore, an infrared peak likewise showed O-H and CO binding. Wool fibers as wefts were identified with circular and oval cross-sections and IR peaks showed N-H/O-H stretching and amide(-CONH-). The animal hair samples used in the wool fiber are believed to have come from long-tailed goral or goats and the possibility of using easy-to-spin sapsal dog hair is also not to be overlooked. This was determined through a contrast analysis by the Cultural Heritage Administration to identify the animal species used in the tapestry.

Scientific Analysis on the Accessory Ornament of Woolen Tapestry Curtain in Seoul Museum of Craft Art

“…Craft Art all union cloth that use cotton for warp and wool for weft (An et al, 2019), and there are accessories such as frame bar and metal accessories on the top, middle, bottom parts to hang the curtain on a door or window frame. Woolen tapestry curtain 1 is 216 cm in length and 156 cm in width as can be seen in Figure 2, and woolen tapestry curtain 2 is 181 cm in length and 129 cm in width as can be seen in Figure 3.…”

“…Studies on woolen tapestry curtain by Min (1992) focused on the fabric, pattern, and weaving technique rather than its functions as a curtain due to the rarity of woolen fabric from Joseon dynasty (Shim, 2016;An et al, 2019). Rugs, drapes, and curtains of Joseon dynasty may share similar crafting techniques but their fundamental usage differ according to the existence of accessories.…”

A Textile Analysis of Woolen Carpet Excavated from Seongjeonggak Hall, in Changdeokgung Palace

“…These analyses revealed that the woolen carpet's dyed green yarn did not use indigo, and reddish-purple ground weave is estimated to have used Caesalpinia sappan. (Park and Lee, 1993;Jang, 2004 (Park and Lee, 1993;Kyungwoon Museum, 2016 (Sim, 2016;Park and Oh, 2018;An et al, 2019 (Sim, 2016;Park and Oh, 2018;An et al, 2019 (Han, 1981;Jang et al, 1998 (Brinton, 1919;Jang et al, 1998…”