AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

Among the hundreds of tapestries treated by the Textile Conservation Lab at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine was an unusual 18th-century example woven in China but incorporating some European tapestry techniques, in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. The tapestry was to be featured in a 2023 CMA exhibition China’s Southern Paradise, Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. This tapestry had unusual features including a vertical warp and presented many challenges; a stitched treatment was not an option due to the extremely fragile raw silk warp and silk and wool weft. Previous darning and patching treatments created more losses and breaks; condition issues including tide lines and prior treatment campaigns were documented by CMA in summer 2022 and the tapestry photographed at that time. It was determined that an adhesive treatment was the only viable option. Extensive testing of adhesives and substrates resulted in the choice of BEVA 371 1mm film on lightweight cotton patches, reactivated with a heated spatula to consolidate the breaks. This presentation will cover the tapestry’s history, compare Chinese and French tapestry manufacture, and discuss prior treatments and current condition issues. Adhesive testing will be detailed and the treatment itself outlined.