Dyes in post-byzantine and Ottoman textiles: A comparative HPLC study

The goal of the study is to compare the dyes used in ecclesiastical post-Byzantine (sixteenth to early twentieth century) textiles of Mount Athos, Greece, with the corresponding organic colourants used in Ottoman (16th – 18th c.) [Σ1]textiles which are preserved in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey. During the historical period of interest, Mount Athos, which has been the spiritual centre of Byzantine culture for centuries, was within the borders of the Ottoman Empire (period of Ottoman rule) and Constantinople was its capital. The comparison of the colouring materials that have been used during the period of the Ottoman rule in textiles from the two different, Byzantine and Ottoman, cultures is of great interest. Samples extracted from forty-six and fifty post-Byzantine and Ottoman textiles respectively, were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC–DAD). The analysis of a silk velvet (inventory no: 13/1679, Topkapi Palace Museum), is presented in detail and serves as an example to describe the methodology that was applied throughout the investigation. More similarities than differences are observed in the results reported for the two textile collections of different cultural identity. The following materials were found in both post-Byzantine and Ottoman textiles: cochineal, madder (Rubia tinctorum L.), lac (Kerria lacca, Kerr), young fustic (Cotinus coggygria Scop.), weld (Reseda luteola L.), dyer’s broom (Genista tinctoria L.), buckthorn berries (Rhamnus trees), indigoid dyes, either indigo (Indigofera species and others) or woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) and tannins. On the other hand, soluble redwood (Caesalpinia trees), old fustic (Chlorophora tinctoria L.) and logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum L.) were found only in post-Byzantine textiles while dyer’s chamomile (Anthemis species) and Rumex species were detected only in few objects from the Topkapi Palace Museum.