Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 27. (Budapest, 2009)

Katalin E. NAGY - Ádám BÍRÓ - Ádám BOLLÓK - László KÖLTŐ Péter LANGÓ - Attila Antal TÜRK: Byzantine Silk Fragments from a Tenth-century Grave at Fonyód

doubtedly the largest continuous silk fragments belonging to a single garment. Restoration of the textile fragments After the exploration of the grave, the textile remains with the bones and the sandy soil covering them were transported to the RipplRónai Museum in Kaposvár in 1990. In the spring of 2009 three larger and several smaller fragments - all belonging to a single garment - were sent to the Museum of Applied Arts for new restoration and scientific processing. Restorer Katalin E. Nagy received the fragments after preliminary conservation following removal from the grave, with soil and mud clots of different sizes, and various parts of the human skeleton. Two of the three larger pieces were lifted out with vertebrae, one with a rib (figs 1. 1-4). Katalin E. Nagy began work by peeling off the textile pieces stuck to the four vertebrae (figs 2. 1-2). At first sight it was obvious that the weaving technique of the multiply-creased silk cloth stuck to the four vertebrae, soiled with earth, belonged to the samite group of fabrics. In view of the size of the crinkled find, exploration began in the hope of gaining more information of the larger piece than had been possible from the smaller finds known so far, when separated from the soil-covered vertebrae. The find was placed on a plastic sieve where the soil pollution was carefully removed by repeated wadding with de-ionized water. Any dirt not dissolved in the liquid had to be removed mechanically. The superimposed layers of cloth were interlaced and pierced by tendrils and roots at several points, which made it extremely hard to unfold and smooth out. De-ionized water was used for loosening, too. This operation was repeated several times, but each instance of wetting was followed by soaking up the liquid. The tendrils and roots were removed with tweezers from the surface and from between the folds of the dried cloth (fig. 2.3). As the pieces of fabric were being unfolded, a thin strip of gold sheet (figs 2.4, 3.1), a small pierced silver plate of similar size, and two silver-gilt mounts were found (figs 3. 2-6). Although the piece of gold was found during wetting under the unfolded textile, it is not certain if it used to belong to the cloth, since no hole for fastening can be found on it and going by the intactness of the fabric it can be excluded that it was once sewn between two layers of cloth. As the fabric was unfolded, first a patternline became visible (fig.4.1). In the phase of undoing (when the layers were being separated from one another) it became obvious that the two pieces of cloth, with edges cut and folded back, were sewn together with a silk thread (fig. 4.2). Only a very short piece of about ten mm could be saved from the slightly Z-twisted silk sewing yarn. There was a hole with distinctly cut edges on the folded cloth at the other end of the fragment (fig. 4.3). When the cloth was wholly smoothed out, it became clear that there were two holes, not one (fig. 4.4). The fold we smoothed out appears to have been original and not secondary, created after internment or during post-depositional processes. It was perhaps made to provide a thicker support for the object fastened to the textile, for which the hole was cut. The wetting of the textile had to be repeated until the multiply-creased cloth was wholly smoothed out. Then it became clear that the fabric consisted of four distinct, cut parts (fig. 5.2). The individual cut silk cloth edges were sewn together with silk thread and folded 23