Analysis and conservation of three Hispano-Moresque textiles dating from the first half of the twelfth century |
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| Abstract: | AbstractThree Hispano-Moresque woven textiles dating from the first half of the twelfth century were restored for an exhibition. The first two are from the reliquary of St Librada in Sigüenza cathedral and the third is from the tomb of St Bernard Calvó in Vich. The first piece depicts addorsed griffins, the second, eagles with extended wings and the third, facing sphinxes. Contained within circles, they belong to a class of textile known in mediaeval documents as pallia-rotata. The spaces between the circles are decorated with typically Islamic designs, and with representations of plants and animals. A similar material was used for all three pieces: silk for both warp and weft, with gold thread for certain decorative motifs. All three textiles were found in a fragmentary condition; they had been glued and sewn onto thin card. The fibres were in a fairly weak state and had lost much oftheir flexibility and resistance. Apart from the work of restoration, the dyestuffs and the metal thread were analyzed and the decorative motifs were reconstructed using scale drawings. |
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