Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 22. (Budapest, 2003)
Márta JÁRÓ: On the History of a 17th Century Noblemans' Dolman and Mantle, based on the Manufacturing Techniques of the Ornamental Metal Threads. Or de Milan, Or de Lyon and Silver of Clay Ornamentations on a ceremonial Costume from the Esterházy Treasury
Base fabric of the mantle and dolman As previously mentioned, two kinds of metal threads, silver (lancé weft) and gold-coloured (brocading weft) were used in the manufacture of the silk base-fabric of the mantle and dolman, which has today in both cases become slightly yellowed. Manufacturing technique of the metal threads The silver thread (lancé weft) is in both garments simple thin metal wire (skofium), woven in the fabric as a pair of wires. (Fig. 6) The wire is thinner than one tenth of a millimetre and is made of practically pure silver (copper content less than 1%). On the surface, parallel, longitudinal striations can be seen under high magnification. (Fig. 7) From this morphology of the metal surface, we may conclude that the wire was manufactured by the drawing technique; the parallel striations were formed by the uneven edges of the holes in the draw-plate. A description of the wire-drawing process can be found as early as the 12 th century in the treatise of Theophilus. 25 Early (15 th-16 th century) pictorial illustrations of wire-drawing are to be found in the so-called "Mendelsches Hausbuch". 26 (Fig. 8) The brocading weft in both cases is plied gold yarn, formed by twisting together two gold threads. (Fig. 7) For the manufacture of these gold threads, thin, narrow metal strips, silvercoloured on the inside and gold on the outside surface, were used. The strips were wound around a silk yarn from left to right (i.e. in Stwist). (Fig. 9) The colour of the core is today pale yellow. In the analysis of the metal composition, on the outer surface of the strips were found major proportions of gold and silver, together with copper (less than 10%). The inner surface was composed only of silver and copper (about 5%). The results from the samples taken from the two garments were substantially identical, within the margin of measurement error. The two-layer metal strips used in the manufacture of the gold thread were most probably cut from gilt-silver foil (or from wider strips), and the strips then wound around the fibrous core. There are several procedures for gilding silver which could have been used in the manufacture of the gilt-silver foil. The presence of copper on both the outer surface and on the inner (silver) surface may indicate the use of a soldering material. 27 In this case the silver and the gold layer are "glued together" using a molten copper-alloy. One can however imagine another method, namely the welding of the gold to the silver without any soldering material (here, the presence of the copper might imply the use of a silver-copper alloy as starting material). On the cleaned and de-greased surface of the silver, gold leaf or gold foil would be placed; by heating the two metals together, then polishing-down the foil onto the surface, the desired connection is achieved. Thinning the combined metals further strengthens the bond. This method, amongst others, was used in the course of gilding silver rods, as described in some 16 th-century sources. 28 Further tests are needed to decide which of the two possible methods, soldering or welding, was used. Concerning the preparation of the narrow strips used in the finished thread, we have found only one description by now, of the method of cutting-down the gilt-silver leaves or wide strips, viz. that given by Biringuccio. According to his account, long shears were used for this operation. 29 The spinning of the strips onto the fibrous core was probably done by hand, using some simple tool. According to Brossard's description, in the 16 th century the spinner wore a perforated thimble on the forefinger, through which the gilded strip was guided onto the silk thread on the hand spindle. 30 The process was probably performed with the aid of some such tool until the advent of mechanisation in the 18 th century. 31 Conclusions from the results of the tests on the base-fabric. An attempt at defining when and where the metal threads were manufactured The silk metal-threaded base-fabric of the mantle and dolman (which differ from one another only slightly in their woven ornamenta-
