Under the Microscope: Analytical techniques for textile characterisation and conservation

This event will explore how scientific techniques can support and enhance decision-making in textile conservation. This seminar will bring together specialists from diverse backgrounds to share insights on the latest analytical approaches, from spectroscopy and microscopy to material identification and degradation studies.

By fostering interdisciplinary discussions, we aim to highlight how analytical data can lead to more informed conservation strategies for historical textiles. Whether you are a conservator, scientist, curator, or researcher, this seminar offers a unique opportunity to engage with experts, exchange knowledge, and discuss challenges and advancements in the field.

Date: 21 March, 2025
Time:14:00-15:30 (Central European Time / Paris) 
Venue: Zoom event 
Who: This event is free of charge and open to members and non-members

Registered participants will receive a Zoom meeting link shortly before the event. Please share with your colleagues the registration link!

Only registered attendees will be allowed into the Zoom meeting and will be able to receive the recording. 

Register no later than March 19th to either attend live or to view the recording for 3 months after March 21st, 2025

Registration link: https://forms.gle/NkVePTPBxmTEryqh8

The session will be moderated by the ICOM-CC Textiles Working Group Assistant Coordinator Paula Nabais from the NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal and Coordinator Sarah Benson from the National Museum of Sweden. 

We hope for a rich discussion and we encourage everyone to participate, hope to see you the 21st of March at 14:00 (Central European Time / Paris) !

Speakers:

Paula Nabais is a heritage scientist with expertise in the study of organic colourants and the use of analytical techniques for the characterisation of artworks. Her interdisciplinary background is evident, uniting arts, history and sciences for the discovery of historical formulations to be (re)invented in modern applications. She is the vice-chair of CIG Action HERITEX-HUB and an active member of COST Action EuroWeb. She is also the coordinator of project REVIVE: The threads of the past weaving the future: The colors from the Royal Textile Factory of Covilhã, 1764-1850, recently funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.

Diego Tamburini is an analytical chemist and obtained his PhD in Chemistry and Materials Science from the University of Pisa in 2015. He joined the Department of Scientific Research at the British Museum in 2016 with an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship focusing on the identification of natural dyes in historical and archaeological textiles. In 2020, he moved to the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research of the National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian Institution) as a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellow. After a short Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University, he re-joined the British Museum in 2021 in the role of Scientist: Polymers and Modern Organic Materials. He specialises in the characterisation of polymeric and organic materials mostly with chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. He has published extensively on his research interests, which span from natural and synthetic dyes and polymers to various classes of organic materials used in cultural heritage objects.

Dr. Ana Serrano is assistant professor and course coordinator of the textiles specialisation in the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage (C&R) group, at the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture, University of Amsterdam. She specialises in the combination of conservation, art history and science for the interdisciplinary study of heritage textiles. Serrano has published extensively and presented at international conferences, while also actively teaching and supervising students in the field of textile conservation.

Hana Lukesova has been captivated by the diverse world of organic materials, their physical properties, and processing techniques, as well as their creation and artistic craftsmanship. Her passion for cultural heritage has profoundly influenced her to pursue a career in conservation. She studied at the Abegg Foundation and the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. She received her PhD in Physics and Technology at the University of Bergen. She has long worked on the cutting edge of conservation, Heritage Science, Art History and Archaeology. She co-established the community ComTex, joining archaeologists and conservators at the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA). She is a member of the National Organising Group of the ICOM-CC Conference in Oslo 2026 and contributes to interdisciplinary networking as an assistant coordinator of the ICOM-CC Scientific Research group.