AIC 53rd Annual Meeting

The Anatolian kilim collection of Murad Megalli, most of which is now at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, is one of the foremost in the US.  Anatolian kilims, particularly those woven by local nomadic tribes, are poorly understood and almost no provenience information is available.  Much of the current literature is based on stylistic assumptions, with little to no technical information to confirm.  Significant loss of traditional lifestyles in Anatolia means that anthropological research is not feasible, and no written records exist about their original manufacture.   Object-based data collection is the only viable option to advance our understanding of these dynamic and graphic textiles.

 

This collection was chosen as a pilot project to develop a methodology for analyzing textiles in-house at The Textile Museum, using methods that are non-invasive, non-destructive, and can be operated by conservators in the absence of a conservation science department.  As permanent staff are unable to consistently devote time to research within the demands of an exhibition schedule, a full-time research fellow position allows the rapid integration of new analytical techniques and equipment.

 

Now in its second year, this project spans the fields of conservation, conservation science, technical art history, and experimental archaeology and incorporates microscopy, fiber-optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), UV/Vis transmission spectroscopy, multiband imaging, and x-ray fluorescence (XRF).  A combination of structural and stylistic analysis with more technical information on dyes and mordants has resulted in a new, data-based method of establishing the age of Anatolian kilims. Consistent information sharing and collaboration between technical researchers and curators and art historians allows for targeted analysis and focuses the direction of the research towards what will be helpful for the end user.  Data analysis in RStudio has allowed us to disprove many assumptions previously made about these objects and how their characteristics change over time and space.   This project has also allowed the museum to develop connections with other researchers within The George Washington University, to offer research experience for undergraduate chemistry students, and to help train emerging conservation professionals on non-invasive analysis techniques that are increasingly applied to textiles.

 

Lastly, the results of this research highlight the value of thinking creatively about the resources available to smaller institutions, and adapting the use of analytical equipment to gather data that at first glance requires much more expensive and specialized instrumentation.