Background

 

For the team at Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, the conservation of a rare silk doublet, last exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in the 1990s, prompted a mission to display this fragile object and its matching trunkhose at Grimsthorpe in optimum environmental conditions. The costume, on show at Grimsthorpe as part of their Summer 2024 Exhibition: Military Lives, is carefully displayed in bespoke cases created with the help of a Icon/Tru Vue^® Conservation and Exhibition Grant.

 

The objects are highly significant as rare survivors of elite court dress of the early 17^th century. They may have been worn by Robert Bertie, 14^th Lord Willoughby de Eresby (later 1st Earl of Lindsey and Lord Great Chamberlain of England) at the coronation of James I. Their display at Grimsthorpe Castle, where Bertie lived, is vital in contextualising their significance. As rare examples of early Stuart dress, they feature in costume historian Janet Arnold’s seminal Patterns of Fashion series.

 

 

Conservation

 

Conservation work on the doublet was recently completed by Tuula Pardoe ACR of the Scottish Conservation Studios, with a contribution grant from the Pilgrim Trust. The doublet had been rediscovered in a state of partial, undocumented historic conservation. Tuula dealt with issues of deciphering original conservation plans and methods to create a new future-proof plan, and carefully tackled the inherent vulnerability of the doublet due to its age and the friable silk outer layer. To conclude the treatment, Tuula housed the doublet on a permanent, rigid, and lightweight honeycomb support board to permit horizontal display, a solution that has also been applied to the trunkhose.

 

 

 

 

 

Display Requirements

 

The Grimsthorpe team quickly realised that without sympathetically designed display cabinets addressing the complex protection needs of the objects, public exhibition would be impossible. The risks of display included dust becoming trapped in the protective netting covering areas of the doublet and accumulating on the silk surface or in fabric folds; degradation from visible and ultraviolet light; and damage from fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature.

 

These concerns had to be weighed against the need to provide an optimal viewing experience of the objects’ lustre, colour, delicate damask pattern and 3-d characteristics. In addition, the team were mindful of issues of sustainability and ethical conservation.

 

 

 

In October 2023, the Grimsthorpe team successfully applied for the Tru Vue^® Conservation and Exhibition Grant towards the cost of manufacturing two identical display cabinets for the doublet and trunkhose. The identified risks were mitigated by meticulous and holistic pre-planning of conservation and display.

 

The display cabinets were designed to counteract agents of deterioration. The cabinet lids, created from 6mm Tru Vue Optium Museum Acrylic^®, will minimise dust deposition, static, RH and temperature fluctuations, visible light and UV. An integrated silica gel tray will inhibit mould and stabilise RH within the cabinet, and the use of inert materials will avoid off-gassing within the display unit.

 

 

 

The need to provide the best possible viewer experience has also been addressed. The mitred edge-to-edge acrylic lids and conservation lighting with motion sensor will mitigate degradation but optimise viewing. Soft internal supports for the doublet and trunkhose protect & enhance the realistic 3-d garment shaping. In addition, the sustainable and ethical methodology applied ensures best practice and guarantees the after-life of the cabinets.

 

 

 

The exhibition runs through the second week of September 2024. Thereafter, the cabinets will be employed for subsequent displays of sensitive objects at the Castle, fulfilling the criteria for sustainability to which the Grimsthorpe team aspire in all aspects of their work.

 

Click here to download a pdf of the project summary.