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TAPESTRY AND TEXTILE RESTORATION
This is the skill of restoring carpets or tapestries.
Skills required :
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Ability to draw
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An excellent ability to draw is required |
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Some idea of art and Art History
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Solid artistic culture |
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Knowledge of the materials and their properties
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Knowledge of the various constituent elements of carpets and tapestries : textiles and colours. Textiles include fibres from plant, animal and synthetic sources which are susceptible to damage : warp, weft, yarn, and velvet plus wool, linen, silk and cotton.
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Techniques for the materials
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Knowledge of specific preservation techniques and the techniques of dyeing textile fibres.
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Key craft tools to be familiar with
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Needles |
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Thread |
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Scissors |
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Profiling and planing tools (tongue planes, rabbet planes, tarabiscots…) |
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Pliers |
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Comb |
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Beeswax and loom |
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| Description of the principal tasks |
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Decide on the work needed based on the destination of the object, its future exhibition conditions, the value of the object and the cost of the intervention |
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Find out the wishes of the owner or the curator of the museum |
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Mark the wood using jigs |
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Establish an "intervention file" made up of documents telling the history of the item and its identity, technical analyses, the proposal for intervention and the methods to be used |
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Undertake preliminary operations : splitting, dusting and analysis |
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First assembly to see if the pieces fit together correctly. |
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Perform technical analyses to establish the structure of the carpets and tapestries, the procedures used to weave them |
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Be familiar with the scientific procedures controlled by the rules of best practice defined by the ICOM (International Council of Museums) |
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Understand the causes of deterioration : action of physico-chemical (light, humidity, pollution), organic (insects, fungi), physical (tears, stains, fires, floods, dusts, poor hanging conditions, wear from walking) or human agents |
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Analyse samples of fibres to test their solidity and the hold of the colours, establish a cleaning programme and decide on drying times |
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Clean the item with water to remove dirt, rehydrate the fibres and reshape it. |
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Dry the item |
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Be familiar with the procedures for restoring a tapestry : consolidation using supports, realignment of the yarns using stitches which partially recreate the weave, lining the tapestry with linen cloth |
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Complete restoration : the object is returned to an almost perfect condition. This involves reconstructing or reweaving the damaged areas |
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If the hole is small, know how to reconstruct a base canvas by incorporating weft and warp yarn into the body of a carpet |
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Make the conservation permanent by stopping the deterioration process whilst respecting the authenticity of the item |
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Working with other craftspeople
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Specific characteristics
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Expertise |
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Clientele |
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Local / regional |
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Location of workshops |
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Production |
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Materials |
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Tools |
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Styles |
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Federations and organisations :
Fédération française des conservateurs – restaurateurs (FFCR)
60, rue Greneta, 75002 Paris
Tél./Fax : 01 42 02 34 81
ffcr@netcourrier.com
www.ffcr-fr.org |
