Un dibattito aperto tra tecnica e conservazione per la camicia talismanica ottomana del Muciv

The restoration of the talismanic shirt was carried out by the Textile Conservation Department of the Opificio between September 2020 and April 2022, thanks to the contribution of Intesa Sanpaolo as part of the 19th Restituzioni project presented at the Galleria d’Italia in Naples from 21st May to 25th September 2022. The garment, Islamic manufacture dating from the mid- 17th century, is a type of robe which was usually worn by warriors under their armour before battle as a protection from danger. It is woven in canvas weave, natural undyed white in colour, flared in shape. It has wide rectangular sleeves, decorated with inscriptions and symbols painted in four colours; it is open at the chest by approximately 20 cm to allow it to be worn easily and has a thin standing collar defined as a stand-collar. Its conservation conditions were poor, due to conditions that generated a degradation of the vegetable fibre combined with accidental factors such as sweat, humidity and climatic fluctuations: it had greyed and was stained, with small but widespread losses generated by the corrosion of the ferro-gallic substance used as pigment. After the investigations carried out to understand the nature of the fibres in the shirt and the stitching, other elements such as a restoration treatment on the yarns, the pigments in the inscriptions and the elements of dirt particles in the painted areas were investigated. A multi-analytical approach based on portable and non-invasive spectroscopic techniques was adopted to study the materials, artistic technique and the conservation status. The treatment gave priority to safeguarding the execution technique and the safety of the artefact by preparing a support that aesthetically filled the losses, supported the handling of the shirt both in storage and on display using the designated supports, and reduced the direct handling of the precious artefact.