Before treatment
Condition Before Treatment
Prior to treatment, all but four of the textiles (E1-4) were covered in soil, making their examination extremely difficult. Many of the fragments were crumpled, rendering their overall form illegible. Additionally, no numbering or housing system was in place, resulting in excessive handling of the collection and subsequent fiber shedding and loss.
Archaeological Fragments
Ancient Andean
Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation Study Collection
Cotton and camelid hair fibers
This collection consists of 57 archaeological plain-weave textile fragments, ranging in size from 0.50” x 0.25” to 35.00” x 11.50”. They are made of cotton (36), animal hair fibers, likely lamoid (alpaca, llama, or vicuna) (11), or combinations of the two (10).
The provenience of this collection is currently unknown. The fragments, which are likely not all from the same region, are believed to be from Peru. There is evidence that they are from human burial, such as a mummy bundle. Due to this context, images of these textiles should only be shared for educational purposes.
Ethical Considerations
Treatment of this collection posed significant ethical questions regarding the treatment of archaeological materials as well as the treatment of objects from human burial. I consulted with numerous conservators about accepted approaches towards the care of archaeological textiles. The treatment was designed to be as minimal as necessary to enable future research. This included overall vacuuming, slight humidification and flattening of illegible fragments, and rehousing. During treatment, I collected as much evidence of burial as possible. At all times, the textiles were handled and cared for with the respect due burial objects.
After treatment
Condition After Treatment
The textiles are in significantly improved condition following treatment. They are now able to be examined safely, and the shape and structure of each fragment is legible. Each textile is now housed in its own custom tray or mat, and textiles that were found to have mercury-based pigments on them using XRF are properly labeled. The fragments are now numbered and housed together to prevent dissociation.
Images courtesy and copyright of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation