The research group Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES) of the University of Antwerp (Faculty Design Sciences, Conservation-Restoration) is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral candidate in the interdisciplinary field of Conservation-Restoration and Heritage science, focussing on the understanding of historical dyeing technology and the ensuing conservation issues. This research focuses on the historical technology used to dye textiles in the 17th century. Being the most important industrial sector from the Middle Ages up to and including the first industrial revolution, the manufacture and dyeing of textiles plays a prominent role in the history of technology. However, until now, literature mostly focused on the economy and trade of textiles, while the underlying technology that was necessary for its production was largely neglected. In contrast, this project will have a more comprehensive approach, involving human and natural sciences. The aim of this research is to quantify the cumulative damage to dyed, historical textiles in order to guide curators and conservators in their decision-making. We propose a multifaceted approach with a focus on the 17th century, that will link the study of historical dye recipes on the current (and future) conservation state of heritage objects. This is obtained by reproduction of a relevant corpus of recipes, selected by a critical study of historical sources, followed by the artificial ageing and chemical characterization of the resulting materials. The veracity of the ensuing insights is evaluated by benchmarking with heritage objects in museum collections.
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