Categorizing tin phosphate/silicate-weighted silks on site by near-infrared spectroscopy

Garside, Paul; Wyeth, Paul; Zhang, Xiaomei

Categorizing tin phosphate/silicate-weighted silks on site by near-infrared spectroscopy

Resource type

Journal article

Creator (person)

Garside, Paul

ORCID

Wyeth, Paul

Zhang, Xiaomei

Date published

March 2012

Abstract

One of the most versatile instrumental analytical techniques for the non-interventive characterization of organic artefacts is near-infrared spectroscopy. In the case of textiles, methodology has recently emerged for assessing the condition of historic silks on site and a corresponding protocol that allows the simultaneous weighting categorization of silks would be really advantageous. This would enable curators and conservators to be more aware of objects containing these problematic fabrics, informing decisions concerning treatment, display and storage. The research described here was directed at developing complementary near-infrared spectroscopic analysis for tin-weighting categorization. A robust classification model was generated from the multivariate analysis of spectra for a large set of reference silks, which allowed the differentiation of non-weighted and tin phosphate/silicate-weighted silks, both aged and unaged. The protocol was piloted at two regional costume collections, and its value to collections management clearly demonstrated.