Study and conservation of a heritage artifact composed of plant fibers and embroidered with colored wool thread

Abstract

: Heritage is all that was left to us by our predecessors in various fields, tangible or intangible, in addition to historical buildings and objects that were transferred and inherited through generations. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve and conserve our heritage, as well as preserve its authenticity. Specialists should pay special attention when preserving cultural heritage artifacts. In this paper we will study one of the commonly objects used in our daily life, a handmade mat known in Arabic as “Al-Bursh”. It was widely used in the oases of Egypt in the New Valley Governorate and in Nubia. The chosen “Bursh” for the study is one of the acquisitions of the Folklore Museum at the Higher Institute of Arts, Academy of Arts in Al-Haram, Giza, Egypt. Due to years of use, followed by years of storage, several deterioration aspects were noticeable. These aspects were documented, photographed and recorded, also the types of fibers used in the manufacturing technique were identified. The technique of making the "Bursh" was also closely studied, as a preliminary step in the conservation and treatment process. The deterioration aspects of the “Bursh” were examined in several ways, starting with photography and documenting by AutoCAD program and mapping the deterioration aspects using different keys, so that it could be easily recognized by non-specialists. Detailed documentation for the object by utilizing USB Digital Microscope was conducted to identify the deterioration aspects that are not visible by the naked eye. The identification of the plant was made with the aid of a Stereo Microscope, in addition the Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR analysis) was carried out to identify the extent of changes that occurred in the functional groups within the chemical composition of the plant used in manufacturing the Bursh. Analysis were followed by conservation and treatment, which included mechanical cleaning and consolidation process of the object without changing its structure, and the addition of a linen support, which helps protect it from external deterioration factors, to maintain it for future generations.