September 4th, 2024
ROȘU / RED Exhibition
National Museum of Romanian Peasants, Sala Media. 3 Kiseleff Str., sector 1, Bucharest
September 14th – 29th, 2024
Exhibition opening: 17 September, 2024, 6:00 pm.
Press preview: 17 September, 2024, 17:00
Muzeul Textilelor in collaboration with the National Museum of Romanian Peasant, National Museum of Romanian History and ASTRA Muzeum organises the exhibition Roșu/Red, which, through a selection of objects from the Muzeul Textilelor and the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, dated from the 19th and the 20th centuries, illustrates the variety of colors and decorative motifs that could be reached with red dyes. The use of the natural dye sources madder (Rubia tinctorum L.) and cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) and the early synthetic dyes fuchsin (1856), synthetic alizarin (1871), rhodamine B (1887), all evidenced by analytical investigations, supports the role of dyes as cultural connecting elements of European and worldwide textiles.
Red is the color par excellence, its symbolism being linked to protection and magic through its primary attributes, fire and blood. From ancient times, red was the predominant color, and kept its status throughout the Greek and Roman times, and in medieval Europe, until blue became its competitor, around the 13th century. The interest for the color red is also confirmed by the traces of red observed on the oldest textile fragments discovered. Mineral pigments, iron oxides and cinnabar were the first sources to colour textiles in red, before the discovery of dyes from biological sources. Plant dyes have been known since the Neolithic, being exploited by populations whose climate was favorable to their growth and development, their use for dyeing being closely related to the other two fundamental processes of textile processing: spinning and weaving. Literature indicates henna (Lawsonia inermis) as the first vegetable source of red dye, but the one whose use was first scientifically proven is madder (Rubia tinctorum L.). Dyes extracted from its roots have been identified in archaeological textiles from the European Bronze and Iron Ages preserved in the Hallstatt salt mines (Austria), bog sites in Scandinavia and in other European burial fragments.
Dyes of animal origin, from insects and molluscs, played a significant role in red dyeing, and always competed for supremacy on the European market. Literature mentions kermes (Kermes vermilio) and Polish and Armenian carmine scale insects (Porphyrophora polonica and P. hameli) as the most preferred in Europe until the 16th century, information proven by analytical investigations. In order to protect the use of the above-mentioned, the Oriental lac dye (Kerria lacca) insects, only rarely managed to reach the European market. In 1464, kermes gained the final triumph over purple (Murex brandaris), when the Pope decided that this source should be used to dye the velvet of cardinals’ robes. Almost thirty years later, with the discovery of the New World, another insect dye made its appearance in Europe: the American cochineal (Dactylopius coccus). Before the end of the 16th century, it will replace all the animal dye sources which existed in Europe.
The discovery of synthetic dyes at the end of the 19th century marks the beginning of another period in textile dyeing. The new colors, brighter and easier to apply, were received with enthusiasm all over the world, which resulted to the decline and almost totally replacement of the natural sources of color.
The exhibition’s curators are Florica Zaharia, Muzeul Textilelor, and Irina Petroviciu, National History Museum of Romania. Also, contributors to the exhibition are Silviu Horațiu Ilea, National Museum of Romanian Peasants, Silvana Vasilca, National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering “Horia Hulubei”, and Iulia Teodorescu, ASTRA Museum.
May 24th, 2019
The opening of the Wool and Water—Woven Felted Blankets of the Balkan-Carpathian Region Exhibition – Muzeul Textilelor, Building B, Băița, No. 20A, Hunedoara County, România
Traditional blankets, cerga și țolul, textile objects with a specific function, are the messengers of a complex textile technology, and imply the breeding of animals for wool, the cultivation of plants for fibers, and the management of water power. These blankets represent the essence of the relationship between the artistic creation attained in the home textile industry over centuries, and the necessities imposed by the mountain environment. At the same time, the pieces define the human relationship of the various participants, to the technological process of producing them.
Based on long-term scientific investigation, which included in-situ research and lab work, in particular technical analyses and fiber microscopy, this exhibition aims to familiarize the public with the art of producing traditional blankets typical to the Balkan-Carpathian area. We also intend to bring out the common characteristics of these pieces produced by various populations who lived in similar geo-climatic conditions.
The exhibition has four sections: the materials and technologies for producing blankets, cerga with tufts (ciupi), Aromanian blankets, and thin blankets called țol. The objects from the exhibition belong to the collection of the Muzeul Textilelor.
The exhibition’s curator is Dr. Florica Zaharia.
We welcome the press on May 24th, 2019 at 5:00PM. For details please see the attached invitation
Contact:
Florica Zaharia, Director and Co-Owner
Tel. 40 732 514 037
E-mail: florica.zaharia@muzeultextilelor.org and florica.t.zaharia@gmail.com
March 16th, 2019
The opening of the “Decades of Visual Memory—Photographs by Ana and Gheorghe Tripon” Exhibition.
Muzeul Textilelor, Building B, Băița, no. 21, Hunedoara County, România
The first ever exhibition dedicated to the photographers Ana and Gheorghe Tripon includes photographs taken by them between 1958-1992, as well as a few taken by unknown photographers during the first half of the 20th century – before their time. Located in Băița, Hunedoara County, România, the two photographers portrayed places, people, the important moments in their lives, social events, and the costumes and textiles specific to the region. Their photographs are mostly monochrome (black-and-white,) but there are also some in color, and some that have been colored.
The photography of Ana and Gheorghe Tripon served the need of Băița region comunity members to immortalize in images the people they loved, capturing the important moments in their lives. Along with the fulfillment of this mission, their photographs convey the documentary value of recording people’s life style, and the traditional physical assets of the region – the architecture, the costume and the home-made textile inventory.
The rapid transformations that occurred during the 20th century can be observed throughout the Tripon’s photographs, and we can establish connections between various eras.
In today’s context, when photography produces instant images, Ana and Gheorghe Tripon’s photography, from photo shoot to film processing was the result of an intense creative labor but also of a technical accuracy, remain unique.
The photographs included in the exhibition belong to the following collections: Ana Tripon, Muzeul Textilelor, Elena Țucă, and Victoria Tripon.
We welcome the press on March 29th, 2019 at the following times: 11:00am to 1:00pm, and at 5:00PM.
The exhibition is curated by Florica Zaharia.
Contact:
Ana Teodora Draguș, Vicepreședinte și Co-proprietar
Tel. 40 733 986 594 / e-mail: ana.zaharia@muzeultextilelor.org