Textile conservation
The textiles in the IDP collections range from small fragments to large silk banners and embroideries, many of them religious in nature. Even the smallest fragments are remarkably revealing about the material life of the people who lived and travelled along the Eastern Silk Roads.
The Stein Mellon Textile Project from Helen Persson at the V&A looks at how the process of conserving, cataloguing and re-housing the Stein Loan collection of textile fragments enabled researchers to discover valuable information about weaving and dyeing techniques.
The British Museum’s textile conservators also created a video series, Conserving Vulture Peak, highlighting the careful work that goes in to restoring a beautiful textile item so that we can continue to learn from and admire its artistry.
