Conservators
often hear this remark - and it is true that textiles should ideally be
displayed flat and in a dim light, to slow further breakdown. Because of
this it is difficult to appreciate the fine details that are hidden in
the "brown rags". Ideally, the textile mount for exhibition should
also be suitable for storage. This is easy with smaller fragments that
can be mounted in frames of acid free cardboard.
Detail (10cm across) from a fragment with embroidery from the Mammen excavation, a Viking Age site near Viborg in Jutland, excavated in 1868. The fragment is framed with a window so that the sewing technique can be studied from the back.
