Weighted silk: history, analysis and conservation

Hacke, Marei

doi:10.1179/sic.2008.53.supplement-2.3

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The ellagic acid detected from those samples was most likely derived from hydrolysable tannins [29] pages 286, 298. Those silks might have been weighted with tannins [29] page 287, [30]. It is reported that in Persia, tannins were also applied with metal salts such as alum to assist as fixers [31].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of natural dyes and metal threads used in 16th -18th century Persian/Safavid and Indian/Mughal velvets by HPLC-PDA and SEM-EDS to investigate the system to differentiate velvets of these two cultures

2015

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Introduction: Analyses of natural dyes and the metal of the metal-wrapping threads used in 16 th -18 th century Persian/Safavid and Indian/Mughal period velvets were performed on these textiles in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The purpose was to determine whether velvets from the two cultures, which have shown problems in the past with attribution based on historical and iconographical studies, could be more precisely differentiated with the additional evidence from identification of their natural dyes and metals along with information of weaving techniques. Dyes and metal of the metal-wrapped threads from fifteen Persian velvets and six Indian velvets were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detector and by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry respectively. Results: There seem to be types of dyes which specifically characterize the velvets of each culture, as well as types of dyes commonly found in velvets of both cultures. Dyes typical of Persian velvets are cochineal and yellow larkspur, while lac and turmeric are characteristic of Indian velvets. The dyes commonly found are a combination of yellow larkspur and indigo dye in green, as well as safflower, indigo dye, soluble redwoods, and tannin dye. There were exceptions however. Because of those exceptions, examining the range of dyes used in the velvets would be important in differentiating the velvets. Metal used for wrapping the threads was in all cases found to be silver of fairly high purity, the majority of which had been gilded. The silver from Persia metal threads showed very slightly higher copper content, while Indian threads showed nearly pure silver. This is the first extensive comparative study of dyes and metal threads of Safavid and Mughal velvets: the first evidence of yellow larkspur being the most used yellow dye in Persia, and of the possible differences in the two cultures' metal threads.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of natural dyes and metal threads used in 16th -18th century Persian/Safavid and Indian/Mughal velvets by HPLC-PDA and SEM-EDS to investigate the system to differentiate velvets of these two cultures

2015

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“…Because silk was sold based on its weight, the addition of metal salts or organic compounds to the silk fiber or fabric added weight and thus increased its price. Weighting silk was a common practice in the 19th century, and Hacke reports the use of tannic compounds for this purpose [ 51 ]. Unfortunately, weighting negatively affects the preservation of silk.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic dye analysis in cultural heritage: Unraveling the authenticity of the earliest Persian knotted-pile silk carpet

Smith

Esson

Chen

et al. 2021

Forensic Science International: Synergy

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“…Ellagic acid is a common breakdown product of hydrolysable tannins and does not enable the specific source of tannins to be distinguished. During dyeing, tannins can be used to weight silk, as vegetable mordant, or to adjust the shade of the color [66,67]. Ellagic acid was detected in very variable relative amounts (ca.…”

Section: Natural Red Dyesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the transition from natural to synthetic dyes in the production of 19th-century Central Asian ikat textiles

et al. 2020

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This study focuses on the dye analysis of 26 ikat textiles present in the collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and originally collected by Dr. Guido Goldman with the aim to gain additional information about their provenance and dating. The investigation exploits the full potential of a multi-analytical approach, starting with a non-invasive survey of all the colors using fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), which revealed the presence of indigo and insect-based red dyes. These data were used to select areas from which samples were taken and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography diode array detector (HPLC–DAD). These results enabled most of the natural sources of dyes to be fully identified, including American cochineal (Dactylopius coccus), madder (probably Rubia tinctorum), lac (probably Kerria lacca), larkspur (Delphinum semibarbatum), pagoda tree flower buds (Sophora japonica), grape vine leaves (Vitis vinifera), indigo and tannins. Complex mixtures of dyes were present in most samples, as a result of both the ikat making process itself and traditional dyeing practices. Synthetic dyes were identified in 9 of the textiles. Samples were re-analyzed using HPLC–DAD coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC–DAD-MS). Malachite green (basic green 4, C.I. 42000), fuchsine (basic violet 14, C.I. 42510), rhodamine B (basic violet 10, C.I. 45170) and methyl violet (basic violet 1, C.I. 42535) were identified, and a few other tentatively identified synthetic dyes (probably orange I, II and IV, rhodamine 6G, patent blue V and alizarin yellow GG) were detected. As the first synthesis of early synthetic dyes is well documented, their presence was used to refine the dating of these textiles. The contextualization of the results also appeared to support the stylistic assumption that more intricate and colorful designs with a higher level of complexity are dated earlier than simpler, larger and more graphic ones. The overall information acquired reveals a dynamic scenario and an interesting window into the dyers’ experiments and adjustments to the economic and technological changes of the nineteenth century.

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Weighted silk: history, analysis and conservation

Cited by 14 publications

References 27 publications

Analysis of natural dyes and metal threads used in 16th -18th century Persian/Safavid and Indian/Mughal velvets by HPLC-PDA and SEM-EDS to investigate the system to differentiate velvets of these two cultures

Analysis of natural dyes and metal threads used in 16th -18th century Persian/Safavid and Indian/Mughal velvets by HPLC-PDA and SEM-EDS to investigate the system to differentiate velvets of these two cultures

Forensic dye analysis in cultural heritage: Unraveling the authenticity of the earliest Persian knotted-pile silk carpet

Exploring the transition from natural to synthetic dyes in the production of 19th-century Central Asian ikat textiles

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