Toiles imprimées endommagées par des mordants de fer : évaluation de traitement désacidifiant et inhibiteur du fer

Overview & Synopsis

A thorough historical, technical and scientific study was carried out on a cotton printed dress, belonging to the collections of the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, in preparation for its conservation. The dress, made of a printed cotton calico and decorated with plants patterns, displayed several degradations in localised areas. There the fabric was brittle, powdery and lacunar. These alterations were created by the degradation of the iron mordant used to fix the printing dyes to the calico. This type of damage is frequently seen on 18th and 19th century printed cotton and evokes the degradations induced by iron gallic inks on paper. The present study was inspired by the treatments developed in paper conservation, and aims to evaluate their performances when applied on printed cotton. Several aqueous (calcium phytate, calcium bicarbonate and a conservation detergent) and non aqueous treatments (calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in various solvents and prepared in various concentrations) were thus tested. Keywords. Printed cotton calico, iron mordant, anti-corrosion treatments, deacidification, textile conservation.