Before treatment
Linen Damask Napkin
1570
Spain or Netherlands
Abegg-Stiftung
Linen
This is a white linen damask table napkin with three major design elements mirrored across the central vertical axis: a bird on a nest, a bust portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and a knight on horseback. The three registers are divided by rows of text. Initials are embroidered in blue thread in the lower left corner. The napkin has two selvages intact and has rolled hems on top and bottom.
Condition Before Bathing
The napkin was in excellent condition overall, without wrinkles and with only small areas of loss. However, hydrophobic and UV fluorescent areas suggested that residues were present on the surface.
Invisible Irregularities
During a studio tour as part of the “Linen Damask in its Historical Context” colloquium on October 8, 2021, the napkin was wetted with deionized water using a spray bottle to demonstrate the blocking process. At this time, irregular outlines that would not wet up appeared on the textile. Upon further examination, the textile also demonstrated irregular UV fluorescence. The UV fluorescence and hydrophobic areas do not appear to coincide. Neither appear to align with the pattern of the damask in any way.
The napkin wetted, revealing irregular hydrophobic rings (L) and a detail of the UV fluorescent pattern which does not correspond to the damask patterning (R)
UV reflectance, After treatment
Condition After Treatment
The napkin is in excellent condition overall, with no changes visible in normal light. Wet cleaning with an anionic surfactant successfully removed the material causing hydrophobic rings in the linen. However, the UV fluorescent pattern remains. At this time, the cause of that remains unknown.
Images courtesy and copyright of the Abegg-Stiftung