A 4000-year-old Egyptian funeral linen and four Italian paintings from the 17th centurye and XVIIIe centuries have enabled twelve researchers from the European Flower project to demonstrate the incredible strength of flax.
By observing the linen of the frames and the Egyptian fabric, a team bringing together researchers from INRAE, the Université Bretagne-Sud, the CNRS, the University of Montpellier, the Soleil synchrotron, the Italian university de Camerino and the Italian “Capitani-Segre” magnetic resonance laboratory of the CNR (Italian National Research Council) has shown that these fibers can retain their physical and mechanical qualities for several centuries, provided they are protected from significant variations in temperature. temperature and humidity.
These results, published on November 7 in Journal of cultural heritage, are part of the development of eco-materials with increased performance for the automotive and advertising industrial sectors.
“It was the Italian doctoral student Alessia Melelli, who went through the Louvre Museum and the English Heritage Institute of English Heritage, who suggested that we take an interest in ancient flax fibers present in the heritage.”, explains Johnny Beaugrand, research director at INRAE. The researchers compared the samples of the Egyptian fabric, on loan from the Louvre, with pieces of linen cloth collected on the reverse side of Italian paintings (the edges protruding from the canvas stretched over the frame).
“We had a panel of four paintings, one in perfect condition, two others in a worrying state of health, and a fourth from the same period, without a precise assessment of the state of conservation”, continues the scientist. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), two-photon microscopy (by two-photon excitation), and other material-preserving analytical methods have been used to observe the molecular and chemical state of fibers.
Results ? Holes and breakage areas in fibers that have received preservation treatments (pigment protective coatings, fish-based glues, etc.). And, conversely, fibers without damage, comparable to current fibers, in the best preserved table, not having been coated with protective agents. This canvas had been stored under constant temperature and humidity conditions.
.
