MFA Acc. #: 25.550

Fragment of a sari (patolu)
Indian
India, Gujarat, 19th century
Silk
67.5 x 46 cm (26 9/16 x 18 1/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Gift of Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy 25.550

for more information see:
MFA Online Collections Database

 

SEM image of silk fibers

Sample supplied by Testfabrics, Inc. (www.testfabrics.com). SEM image collected at 370x, with uncoated sample on carbon tape. Credit: Scientific Research Lab, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

 

SEM image of silk fibers

Sample supplied by Testfabrics, Inc. (www.testfabrics.com). SEM image collected at 1000x, with uncoated sample on carbon tape. Credit: Scientific Research Lab, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

 

Silk fibers

Slightly cross-polarized (left) and Polarized (right) transmitted light photomicrographs at 200X of silk fibers mounted on a glass slide to illustrate the color of the substance along with presence or absence of color under polarized light. Image credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

 

Silkworm

Prometheus silkworm. Public domain image from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia 1913.
Image accessed Dec. 30, 2004 at Wikipedia

 

Silk cocoon
(Bombyx mori)

Photomacrograph of silk cocoon.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Dull seracin silk

Photomacrograph showing dull seracin silk. Sample provided by the Textile Conservation Laboratory, MFA.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Seracin silk with lustre

Photomacrograph showing seracin silk with lustre. Sample provided by the Textile Conservation Laboratory, MFA.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Comparison of wool, cotton and silk fibers

Image credit: J. Merritt Matthews, Ph.D., The Textile Fibers: Their Physical, Microscopial and Chemical Properties, 4th Edition, New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1924

 

Cultivated silk

Polarized photomicrograph of cultivated silk at 200X. Sample provided by the Textile Conservation Lab, MFA.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Cultivated silk

Photomicrograph of cultivated silk at 200X. Sample provided by the Textile Conservation Lab, MFA.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Irradiated silk fiber

Darkfield photomicrograph of irradiated silk. Sample provided by the MFA Scientific Research Lab.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

 

Silk

Micrograph of wild silk fibers. Method: Differential Interference Contrast. Image obtained from Olympic Microscopy Resource Center website on Sept 17, 2005 at Image Galleries

 

China silk

Photomacrograph of china
silk fabric. Sample provided
by the Textile Conservation
Laboratory, MFA.

Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Weighted silk damage

Photomacrograph of silk fabric with damage. Sample provided by the Textile Conservation Laboratory, MFA.
Photo credit: Keith Lawrence, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

IR spectrum of silk

Spectrum collected using a microdiamond cell. Credit: Scientific Research Lab, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.