Rekonstruktionsversuch zur Herstellung von Häutchengoldfäden

Eine Synergie aus Wissenschaft und Handwerk

Abstract

Reconstruction experiment for the production of gilt membrane strips
A synergy of science and craftsmanship
For a longer period of time organical gold threads represented an alternative to metal threads made of solid gold and silver strips wound around a fibre core. In contrast to threads made from thin sheets of metal, the advantages of these gold filaments made from a special layer of gut and coated with a wafer-thin layer of metal leaf were their greater flexibility and much more cost-effective production. However, knowledge of the medieval manufacturing process for threads of this type has now been lost. The results of new material-analytical investigations on a corpus of Italian textiles from the 13th and 14th centuries with gilt membrane strip decoration by Cristina Scibè (University of Seville) and Caroline Solazzo (Smithsonian Institute Washington, D. C.) allow the development of new approaches to reconstruct the manufacturing process. In a series of experiments, methods for fixing the leaf metal to the prepared intestinal skin layer as well as cutting variants of the strips and methods for spinning the gold filaments were developed. Specific details observed during the production process can be used for comparisons with the originals in order to gain further insights into the historical production of chaff gold. By producing larger quantities of material, the technical feasibility of the proposed production process and spinning method has already been successfully tested, and the practical usability of the finished pieces has been proven.