**2. Case studies**

This paper aims to analyze from the point of view of approach, methodology and research object, three case studies already carries out regarding the current state and the conservation conditions of some textile collections from three buildings in Bihor County, Romania (**Figure 1**) serving different purposes. These three collections have been extensively examined in numerous specialized papers, some being already published and some being in print.

*Waste in Textile and Leather Sectors*

The mutations that have occurred lately against the backdrop of globalization call for sustained efforts to conserve these elements of cultural heritage and local identity. The necessity of their conservation has required the carrying out of numerous specialized studies that have highlighted the anthropogenic and environmental degradation factors [1, 6–8] and their effects on textile, yellowing, decreased elasticity and tear resistance, microflora development [9–15], as well as the necessary measures to prevent their degradation and to conserve them [16–19]. Considering that one of the most objective and important factors with direct effects on the degradation of textile is "time itself", a solution may represent digitization, constituting an informational bridge between past, present and future [20–23]. During the past decades, digitization has become one of the main concerns of cultural institutions and governments all over the world [22] as there is a constant need for preserving cultural heritage in a digital form as well. From a process that transforms a physical object into a digital one [21], digitization became an art itself involving various specialists from different domains having the same aim preservation. But, still the final goal of digitization is not only to turn a material object into bytes, but making it accessible for everyone interested in it, in an online environment [24] as culture is considered a basic human right [25]. Thus, through digitization the past is connected to the future as the digital world may seem a better option for preserving and conservation of the cultural heritage resources. We are living in the "Digitization Age" and our society understood that cultural heritage belongs to the mass and plays an essential role not only for the social and economic

development of the present society but for the future one as well.

whose results have a high degree of plausibility.

properties of textile materials" [30].

From all the cultural resources, maybe the most sensitive in preserving are textile [3] as requires certain storage conditions. Temperature, humidity, light exposure and the mycological content in the composition of the materials are few parameters to be analyzed in order to assure proper storage conditions. In this context, digitization seems a better solution for preservation and promotion, their life span will be undeniable higher although it will be in the cyberspace not in the

Among tests, an analysis that can be performed on textile materials for their digitization, the SEM analysis and digital radiography are highlighted practices

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) allows three-dimensional views of external morphology of the fibers, in order to determine their level of conservation [26]. SEM is used to identify fibers and to assess the level and type of fiber wear, degradation or structural alteration [27–29]. The environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) can be used to "characterise the surface, interface and dynamic

X-radiography and digital radiography uses non-destructive techniques very useful in the study of textile materials, documentation and interpretation in order to conserve valuable objects from cultural heritage [31–33]. The limitation of this method is inaccessibility on a large scale due to the high costs. Another technique for studying old textile materials is the one proposed by Ahmed et al. [34]—laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which also provides chemical information; also for the determination of the chemical composition of the colors used, we mention the use of X-ray fluorescent spectrometry (Spectroscan Max G, Spectron),

Mannes et al. [36] propose a non-invasive approach for the analysis of fragile materials of cultural heritage, neutron and X-ray imaging. Valuable information about the old manufacturing techniques used in the creation of textile but also about the possible treatments for cleaning and preserving them for a longer period of time can be obtained using all the techniques and X-ray spectroscopy

with the type of spectrometer being wavelength dispersive [35].

**186**

real world.


#### **Table 1.**

*Details of the studies already carried out by the research team from the University of Oradea and collaborators, on the three buildings in which textile collections are kept.*

In the first case, it is a wooden church located in the University of Oradea Campus, built in the second half of the eighteenth century and currently considered a historical monument, being registered in the list of historical monuments with the code BH-IIm-B-20958. It houses numerous paintings, some of which are made on textile material (**Figures 2** and **3**). These are very valuable in terms of the techniques used for painting (al secco), the colors used (some with gold composition), the dimensions and materials on which they are made. The studies envisaged for the methodological and result analysis are focused on determining the interior microclimate of the monument [7, 44, 45] as well as the preservation of the valuable objects inside [35, 46, 47].

The second case study is represented by a former nineteenth century peasant household from the village of Sălacea, which was later refurbished and is currently functioning as a village museum. Numerous ethnographic items are exposed inside such as: furniture, traditional fabrics and other household items (**Figure 4**);

**189**

**Figure 2.**

**Figure 1.**

*The location of the three case studies at the Bihor County level.*

*Painting on canvas inside the wooden church historical monument depicting The Holy Trinity.*

*Considerations Regarding the Research for the Conservation of Heritage Textiles in Romania*

precious due to the prominent place formerly occupied in the life of the Romanian village, especially in the villages from Bihor County. The museum house has been the object of study for three scientific works, one focused on the determination and analysis of the internal microclimate [48], and the second on its influence on the

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91393*

conservation of the exposed textile materials [2].

*Considerations Regarding the Research for the Conservation of Heritage Textiles in Romania DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91393*

precious due to the prominent place formerly occupied in the life of the Romanian village, especially in the villages from Bihor County. The museum house has been the object of study for three scientific works, one focused on the determination and analysis of the internal microclimate [48], and the second on its influence on the conservation of the exposed textile materials [2].

**Figure 1.** *The location of the three case studies at the Bihor County level.*

*Waste in Textile and Leather Sectors*

1 Wooden church *"Saint Martyrs Constantin Brancoveanu and his sons"*

10 National Archives of

Service

Romania—Bihor County

*on the three buildings in which textile collections are kept.*

**188**

**Table 1.**

In the first case, it is a wooden church located in the University of Oradea Campus, built in the second half of the eighteenth century and currently considered a historical monument, being registered in the list of historical monuments with the code BH-IIm-B-20958. It houses numerous paintings, some of which are made on textile material (**Figures 2** and **3**). These are very valuable in terms of the techniques used for painting (al secco), the colors used (some with gold composition), the dimensions and materials on which they are made. The studies envisaged for the methodological and result analysis are focused on determining the interior microclimate of the monument [7, 44,

*Details of the studies already carried out by the research team from the University of Oradea and collaborators,* 

**No. Location of study** *Title of the studies***—Status (journal, volume, issue, page)—Year**

2 *Study on microbial and fungal contamination of air and wooden surfaces* 

3 *Indoor air quality assessment and its perception. Case study—historic* 

5 *Preserving textile objects in Romanian Wooden Churches. Case study of* 

Textila Journal, 70, 1, 88–93)—2019

Journal, 2)—2020 6 *Spectrometry Study of Heritage Objects for the Digitisation of Cultural* 

*Journal)—2020* 7 Sălacea Museum House *Indoor air quality of museums and conservation of textiles art works.* 

8 *Analyzing indoor museum air quality implications: Case study of* 

9 *Microbial and fungal contamination of air and wooden surfaces inside of* 

89–91)—2018

evaluation—2020 11 *SEM investigations on old maps with canvas support—*Conference

Letters)—2020 4 *Exploring the Indoor Environment of Heritage Buildings and its Role* 

*Investigations on air quality in the historic wooden church in Oradea city, Romania*—Published (Environmental Engineering and

*inside of a historical Church from Romania*—Published (Journal of

*wooden church, Romania*—In print (Romanian Biotechnological

*in the Conservation of Valuable Objects—*Published (Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 18, 12, 2579–2586)—2019

*the heritage wooden church from Oradea*—In print (Industria Textila

*Heritage—In print (Environmental Engineering and Management* 

*Case study: Salacea Museum House, Romania*—Published (Industria

*Salacea Museum House in Romania*—Conference paper (Global and Regional in Environmental Protection GLOREP, Ed. Politehnica,

*Museum House Salacea, Romania*—Under evaluation—2020

*Microclimatic characteristics and air quality inside of the National Archives of the Bihor County (Romania) for the long-term* 

*preservation of the documents and the health of the employees*—Under

paper (International Conference TexTeh IX. Advances textiles for a

better world, Proceedings, 9, 153–157)—2019

Management Journal, 17, 11, 2731–2739)—2018

Environmental Biology, 39, 6, 980–984)—2018

The second case study is represented by a former nineteenth century peasant household from the village of Sălacea, which was later refurbished and is currently functioning as a village museum. Numerous ethnographic items are exposed inside such as: furniture, traditional fabrics and other household items (**Figure 4**);

45] as well as the preservation of the valuable objects inside [35, 46, 47].

#### **Figure 3.**

*Painting on canvas from the ceiling of pronaos inside the wooden church depicting the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus.*

**Figure 4.**

*Traditional port and household items from Sălacea Museum House made of textile materials: (1) elements of the traditional port from the Ier Valley; (2) and (3) items for daily use made from different textile materials.*

In the last case study, the conditions and the degree of conservation of the documents and textile materials deposited in the National Archives of Romania—Bihor County Service, based in Oradea Municipality—were examined. The researches focused on a thorough analysis of both the main parameters of the internal microclimate from several deposits [49] and of old maps dated between 1895 and 1910 with the support of textile materials (especially cloth) [50].

Due to the different age of the three buildings, the different construction materials and the purpose they serve, the collections of textiles inside them are subjected to various anthropogenic and environmental pressures. If the building of the National Archives of Romania—Bihor County Service is recently built, using modern building materials and access is restricted, so the textiles inside are subject to minimal external influences in order to conserve them for as long as possible; at the opposite pole is the wooden church from the University of Oradea Campus. It is about 260 years old, built mostly of organic material (wood) and is a "living" monument (it still serves the purpose for which it was built) that houses an average of 60 parishioners at each religious service [7], the paintings on the canvas inside are exposed to much amplified pressures. As for the Museum House in Sălacea, it was built in the last century, made of beaten clay and covered with reed; functioning as a village museum, it is occasionally visited by tourist groups, the textiles not being exposed to a very high stress (at least anthropic).
