The Use of Protein to Consolidate Damaged Silk Fabrics

Project Leaders: Mgr. Jaroslava Řeřichová, Mgr. Pavlína Koubová

Project summary
The planned research builds on a previous preliminary study conducted at the Museum of Prague (MMP), which focused on an innovative method developed at the China National Silk Museum. The method is based on the application of fibroin in combination with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE), or alternatively alanine with EGDE, and has demonstrated significant potential for the consolidation of silk fibres. The MMP study practically verified the procedure for consolidating fragile silk using fibroin and EGDE. The strengthening of degraded silk was confirmed, but unlike the results of the Chinese research, there was an undesirable reduction in drape. The newly proposed research aims to evaluate the possibilities of consolidating silk using fibroin and alanine. The properties of the consolidants will be studied on model samples of silk fabrics before and after artificial aging process.

The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Chemical Technology for Monument Restoration at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (VŠCHT), which will enable the use of state-of-the-art analytical facilities and an interdisciplinary approach.

The results of this research should provide objective data enabling to define the optimal conditions for introducing this method into conservation practice in our environment. At the same time, they will contribute to the development of new procedures in the field of protection and conservation of textile cultural heritage.

 

In the Footsteps of the First Farmers: Mobility and Lifestyle on the Northwestern Outskirts of Prague

Project Leader: Mgr. Petra Schindlerová, Ph.D.

Project summary
The project focuses on the study of Early Neolithic burials of the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK, 5400–4900 BC) settled on the northwestern outskirts of Prague along the Litovický Brook. This area provided favourable conditions for early agriculture, and previous research has concentrated primarily on long-term settlements.

We reconstruct the lives of the first farmers primarily based on the physical remains of their activities; however, the exact circumstances of their arrival in the Prague Basin remain unclear. While mobility is indirectly evidenced by the spread of material culture, this provides only a very general framework and does not allow us to determine whether cultural traditions spread through the physical movement of people, the exchange of ideas, or emerged independently. Biochemical analyses based on the isotopic composition of human tissues, on the other hand, allow us to track the mobility of individuals directly. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes enable an approximate reconstruction of the diet and lifestyle of the first farmers. In the Czech LBK context, however, their use faces a fundamental limitation. Unlike in surrounding areas in Bohemia, there is a lack of extensive burial grounds.  The small number of preserved burial sites in settlements hinders the full application of these scientific methods. However, the sites along the Litovický Brook, which contain the largest group of LBK graves, are an exception; they offer a unique opportunity to examine in greater detail the mobility and social dynamics of early agricultural communities.

The aim of the project is to clarify the process of the arrival and mobility of the earliest agricultural communities into the Prague Basin, providing a foundation for future research collaboration with the surrounding regions. The project will thus contribute to a better understanding of the specific characteristics of the Prague Basin within a broader geographical context.

 

Early Medieval Coins from the Collections of the Museum of Prague

Project Leaders: PhDr. Martin Čechura, Ph.D., PhDr. Jiří Lukas

Project Summary
The collections of the Museum of Prague (both the historical and archaeological sub-collections) contain a number of early medieval coins (denarii and bracteates). Museum records for these coins are currently of varying quality; in a number of cases, the coins are identified only very generally or not at all. Many specimens lack sufficient information regarding their discovery circumstances, or this information is entirely missing. To date, only a few sets have been professionally evaluated and published. The aim of the project is to create a complete inventory of early medieval coins (denarii and, where applicable, bracteates) in the collections of the Museum of Prague, specifically in the archaeological and historical ones. The coins will be recorded in a catalogue containing basic numismatic and archaeological data, and high-quality, standardized photographic documentation will be produced. The project also includes a material analysis of the coins or selected specimens.

The results of the analytical part will be compared with the current state of knowledge regarding early medieval coinage in the city of Prague and in early medieval Bohemia. The results will be published as a scientific study in the journal Numismatický sborník, while individual studies focusing on the circumstances of the finds and the evaluation of specific collections will be published in other scientific journals.

 

  Response of Historical Paper to Small Fluctuations in Relative Humidity: Pilot Tests Using the DIC Method

Project Leader: MgA. Lucie Živná

Project Summary
The project focuses on quantifying the mechanical response of historical paper materials to small changes in relative humidity (RH), which are common in museum and archival storage facilities. Paper and parchment collection items are highly sensitive to humidity, which leads to dimensional changes such as curling and warping and can result in a loss of mechanical stability. The aim of the project is to apply a modern contactless optical method, digital image correlation (DIC), to measure in-plane deformations (expansion due to humidity) across the entire surface. Selected historical originals and test samples of modern papers will be monitored in a climate chamber during controlled cycles of RH changes (±5%). The results will verify the sensitivity of the DIC method for monitoring fragile historical artifacts and provide unique quantitative data to refine preventive conservation and establish safe limits for climate fluctuations. In the Czech context, this represents a unique application of this method in the field of cultural heritage preservation.

 

Virtual Twin for Improved Accessibility

Project Leader: MgA. Vojtěch Leischner, Ph.D.

Project Summary
We will modify a wheelchair so that the user can sit and spin the wheels in place. We will install sensors on the wheelchair to detect wheel movement. The wheelchair will serve as an interface for movement in virtual reality—a digital replica of the exhibition in the main building at Florenc. We will investigate both the interface itself (the wheelchair as a means of movement in VR) and the experience of navigating the virtual exhibition.

 

A Shadow Memory in an Old Lady’s Grave

Project Leader: Mgr. Pavel Kacl

Project Summary
Behind this poetic title lies an unusual discovery: a 19th-century grave from the former Helvetian Cemetery in Prague-Karlín. The coffin lid was apparently fitted with a small glass window. During decomposition, the glass pane collapsed and shattered. On one of the glass fragments lay a portrait silhouette depicting a man’s bust, created using the verre églomisé technique—that is, scratching the shadow-formed profile and ornaments into a sheet of gold on the back of the glass plate and subsequently colouring it with black pigment. Traces of adhesive indicate that the silhouette was placed in a case made of organic material, and the style suggests a date from the first quarter of the 19th century. The interpretation of the find and the relationship between the man in the portrait and the buried individual—an older woman, according to a field anthropological assessment—invite speculations. Vertical stratigraphy suggests that the grave may be up to several decades younger than the portrait silhouette. The project aims to evaluate findings regarding this unusual grave from the perspectives of archaeology, biological anthropology, and art studies. Research on the vanished Karlín cemetery has so far been published only in the form of summary overviews or methodological studies, and the extensive information potential offers a range of topics, among which this extraordinary discovery of the portrait silhouette stands out.