The gremial, or a square-shaped piece of cloth placed on a bishop’s lap when he was seated at Mass, has been made from the bright green coloured silk satin and decorated with the slightly raised floral ornaments. The border is filled with an ornament composed of irregular runners with flowers. In the style of decorative motifs clearly apparent are the Turkish influences. The embroidered gremial was in 1973 sent to Laboratory for Restoration of Old Textiles, National Museum, Cracow exhibiting a far advanced deterioration as e.g. rotted satin warp, decayed embroidery threads, worn out yarn in ornaments, etc. The restoration was carried out by the author of the present report who prior to restoration proper subjected a number of dyes to trials aimed at establishing of their fastness. As the first step the old mends were removed and the whole cloth sewn onto a cotton gauze. The cleaning was carried out in a bath prepared from the fuller’s herb (Radix Saponariae officinalis) and distilled water. The cotton gauze underlay has been removed from the dried cloth which in turn was relined on a thin cotton cloth layer thus providing reinforcement to the original cloth background. The restoration was completed by securing the cloth with a new lining and then prepared for hanging.
The dress, made after the Spanish fashion, is adorned with metal thread bobbin lace laid in stripes : on the sleeves and at the lower edge of the skirt — horizontally, and on the bodice and upper part o f the skirt — vertically. The lace is additionally decorated with sequins. The inner sleeves and the lining of the upper ones, have an ornament of flat string embroidery and seuqins. The dress is made of fabrics of various kinds : satin of two colours, golden — the cover o f the dress, and vermillion-rose — the lining of the upper sleeves and the inner sleeves ; vermillion-rose taffeta. The taffeta and satin were both woven of natural silk thread and coloured with natural dyes. Linen cloth o f natural colour was also used (as lining of the bodice and inner sleeves) ; and so was the impregnated linen cloth, the metal thread lace and plaitwork border. The dress was dirty, especially on the shoulders, sleeves, upper part of the skirt and lower edge of the lining. The satin was damaged and frayed in many spots. Similar damages were to be seen on the pink satin of the inner sleeves and on the lining of the outer ones. The lining of the skirt (pink taffeta) was very dirty and, at its lower edge, torn, frayed and ragged, with some fragments missing. There were to be seen there traces of the action of moisture and a number of damp patches. Similar damp patches were to be found on the back of the satin o f the skirt. Some o f the damaged parts had previously been mended ded — probably in the 19th century — with a thick cotton thread. Those repairs were incorrect and caused additional damage to the original fabric. The lace and sequins were very dirty as well, blackened, oxidized and, in many spots, ripped away from the satin. The threads fastening the sequins were frayed or broken as a result of which the latter got detached. Prior to the proper conservation proceedings photographs were taken of the whol« dress and its details so as to depict its condition and damages. In the course o f conservation further documentary photographs and slides were taken, illustrating the more interesting fragments of the proceedings involved. Moreover, the dress as such was subject to detailed measurements and described. Patterns of its respective parts were duly made. Throughout conservation the respective stages of the work done were daily recorded in greater detail. A searching analysis of all the possibilities of cleaning and preservation of the fabric and metal thread lace was carried out and the method chosen, most appropriate for the given kind of fabric and yarn. Next, some parts of the dress were detached, in the spots where that was necessary for a correct execution of cleaning and preservation. Nevertheless, a number o f original seams remained intact. This applies to those o f the bodice, the seams of upper sleeves (unsewn but over the length o f 8 cm), the seams o f inner sleeves and five seams of the skirt. The respective parts of the dress were cleaned with distilled water with an addition o f a decoction o f soap-root (radix saponariae), due attention being paid to all the descriptions and measurements made previously. The metal lace was cleaned as well and so were the sequins adorning the lace and the metal thread border. The fabric properly dried and steamed, the operation of its doubling was taken up, however, only with regard to the destroyed, frayed or worn parts o f the gown. Cotton batiste of linen weave was used as underiayer. A thin silk thread was used in doubling and the cotton and flax ones in stiching the parts of the dress together. Direct dyes were used for dyeing the conservation materials. Apart from doubling the satin and taffeta the proceedings discussed also embraced repairing and conservation o f the damaged lace and sequins.
Basing on the example of two suits of liturgical robes the author discusses two different kinds of conservation procedure applied in the Atelier of Textile Conservation in the National Museum in Cracow. The first suit is made of a chasuble and two dalmatics from Italian lampas (ca 1600) with a Nałęcz coat of arms of Piotr Gębicki, a Cracow bishop. In that case all objects were taken to pieces and cleaned, while damaged parts of the fabric got protected on a cotton base. In all silk parts a net was made with the thread laid vertically every 5 mm and supported every 4—5 mm, while the threads from a metal weft were protected with diagonally set 2-mm stitches (in 2 threads). The stitches imitated an original mode of tieing metal threads through a warp. As a result of this treatment, protecting stitches in damaged parts gave the impression of an authentic structure. The second suit is a chasuble and two dalmatics from the end of the 16th century with a Rola coat of arms of Jan Tarnowski, a Poznań bishop. It was made from silk velvet brocade. In that case conservation treatment was carried out without disassembling the object. It consisted in cleaning, putting pieces of cotton under damaged parts and fastening loose silver and silk threads to them. The author emphasized the value of the first, more labour- consuming, technique which allows to restore to the fabric technical performance and aesthetic appearance. She also points out usefulness of the second technique making possible a display of the object but giving the protection for a short time only.
Apart from mastering the drawing and colour, knowledge of the history of textiles, weaving and embroidery techniques, conservation of textiles requires a theoretical and practical comprehension of general synthetic dyeing and of natural plant dyeing in particular. The author of the report studied plant dyeing with Professor Wanda Szczepankowska at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, after completing studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Since 1951 she has been working in Textile Conservation Department, first in Textile Conservation Section in the Wawel State Arts Collection and then in a similar section of the National Museum in Cracow. For 20 years the author has been involved in plant dyeing for the conservation of textiles, preparing materials for the conservation of tapestries, arrases from the collection of Sigismund Augustus and 16th-17th-century-old carpets. The rightness of using plant dyes in the conservation of textiles has been confirmed by a many-years experience showing their durability and a perfect harmony with colours of genuine items. Conservation workshops mentioned above receive dyeing plants from an English company known as Skillbeck Brothers, London and a Polish unit, namely the Institute of Plant Growing and Acclimatization at Puławy. They also replenish their stock with wild-growing plants available in herbs selling shops. Apart from the plants necessary to obtain required colours a number of chemicals is also applied as an important and indispensable mordant. Out of the plants used more frequently in dyeing wool as a conservation material we should mention here oak bark, birch leaves, greenweed, reseda, yellow tree, madder, indigo and the only natural dye of animal origin — cochineal dye. Having got a practical knowledge of formulations worked out by Professor Szczepankowska which give clear and basic colours, for a number of years the author of the report has been preparing formulations for colours necessary in the conservation of historic textiles. She has worked out several dozens of new formulations obtaining the dyeing resistant to light. In cooperation with Profesor Szczepankowska she has made numerous studies on the resistance of colours to light, wear and washing. In effect, the use of conservation materials dyed in accordance with the formulations of plant dyeing brought very good results in the conservation of tapestries and carpets, just as the wool dyed with plant dyes was used originally to make new textiles.
The conservation of the tent was done in the Atelier for the Conservation of Textiles in the National Museum in Cracow. It comes from the collection of Czartoryskis princes and according to the tradition it was brought to Poland by King John III Sobieski after the siege of Vienna in 1683. The inside layer of the tent was made of thin woolen cloth and the outside one — of thick impregnated cotton. Originally the tent consisted of a flat roof, 4 walls and 2 flounces: top and bottom. It was all adorned with a technique of applique work contured with gold and silk threades. The ornament of this part of the tent reveals its Indian provenance. Most probably in the 17th century 4 wings were added which extended side walls as well as 2 quoins changing the shape of the roof from flat to pent one. Subsequent parts of the tent were most probably made in Turkey and decorated in an inlay technique Places of splicing all parts were covered with silk string. When making a conservation programme a classical method was followed, universally used in Cracow’s Atelier. It consisted in an exclusive use of a needle and natural raw materials, use of protective conservation only, observance of the rule reversibility and exclusion of reconstruction treatment. After disassembling all parts of the tent and cleaning in water bath with soap-wort cotton bases were put under the whole fabric and protected on looms. The missing applique work was not reconstructed. Missing parts were replaced with pieces of cotton dyed needed colours for retouching purposes. The biggest problem was the crumbling out of silk thread contouring elements of decoration. The thread played a double role: it formed an internal outline of the ornament and fastened the applique work to the base. A technical role of the thread decided of its complete reconstruction, in spite of the principles observed. In places where the threads were partially preserved, a new thread was laid on the original one in order to protect it. Due to the lack of time one hoarding was secured provisionally. The whole of the tent was spliced, authentic stitches were reconstructed and then it was earmarked for display.
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