Conservation of a Twentieth-Century Tapestry Treated with a Flame Retardant: Two Panels from Ina Golub’s The Spiritual Journey

Anna Andreeva
Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

About this Item

Title
Conservation of a Twentieth-Century Tapestry Treated with a Flame Retardant: Two Panels from Ina Golub’s The Spiritual Journey
Contributor Names
Andreeva, Anna (Author)
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice (Degree granting institution)
Montegut, Denyse (Thesis advisor)
Soll, Valerie (Thesis advisor)
Date
2021
Degree Information
M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2021.
Department: Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice.
Advisors: Montegut, Denyse; Soll, Valerie.
Abstract
This qualifying paper is an account of the conservation of two out of seven panels comprising a twentieth-century tapestry The Spiritual Journey. The artwork was created by Ina Golub, a fiber artist whose largest collection of works is housed at the Yeshiva University Museum (YUM). At the time of acquisition, the tapestry was found to be in poor condition with severe deterioration of its warp structure, especially where the linen warp yarn was exposed. Along with many years of exposure, it is probable that the tapestry's present deteriorated condition was in part caused by a flame retardant treatment in the early seventies when the tapestry was installed in a public space. A conservation treatment plan was proposed to treat those two specific panels because their condition issues were representative of problems shared by the whole tapestry.The goal of this project was to develop a set of protocols that could be implemented by future conservators for the remaining five panels. The research for this project added to current understanding and treatment of flame retardant deterioration in fiber art. The project was enriched by the object's archived documentation held by YUM which traces the process of its creation.The paper begins with the placement of The Spiritual Journey tapestry within its art historical context as well as its place within the collection at YUM. Following that is a detailed description of the artwork and its condition. The chapter that follows contains a development of the conservation treatment plan based on testing and a researched analysis of the flame retardant degradation of the linen fiber. The planned process is reported, based on the physical assessment of the object's condition as well as results from the pre-testing and analysis. Re-warping was the main treatment for the deteriorated warp structure, and samples were developed to explore appropriate methodologies. Next is the treatment report that includes a full description of steps, the evolution of the methodology and new discoveries. The paper concludes with recommendations for storage and care of the tapestry in its post-treatment condition.
Subject
Textile research
Museum studies
Museum conservation methods
Tapestry
Fiberwork
Golub, Ina, 1938-
Yeshiva University. Museum
Rights
In Copyright
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Identifier
FIT Repository ID: etd_000892
pqdiss: 28498202
ISBN: 9798738610196
Related Materials
Also available from ProQuest
Type
Text
Thesis
Language
eng
Publisher
Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Citation

Andreeva, A. (2021). Conservation of a Twentieth-Century Tapestry Treated with a Flame Retardant: Two Panels from Ina Golub’s The Spiritual Journey [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/4063
Andreeva, Anna. Conservation of a Twentieth-Century Tapestry Treated with a Flame Retardant: Two Panels from Ina Golub’s The Spiritual Journey. 2021. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/4063
Andreeva, Anna. "Conservation of a Twentieth-Century Tapestry Treated with a Flame Retardant: Two Panels from Ina Golub’s The Spiritual Journey." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2021. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/4063