Tussah silk

MFA Acc. #: 1986.754

Description

Silk fibers produced by wild silk worms (Antheraea mylitta). The filaments of Tussah, or wild silk, is coarser and stronger than cultivated silk fibers. It is rarely weighted. Wild silk is also brownish and more difficult to bleach so it is usually dyed in dark colors. See also silk.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Tusser silk; wild silk; raw silk

Indian tropical tasar silk moth, Antheraea mylitta

Other Properties

Fiber has longitudinal striations. Cross section is elongated triangle.

Additional Information

° M.Brooks, S.O'Conner, J.McDonnell "The Application of Low-energy X-radiography in the Examination and Investigation of Degraded Historic Silk Textiles" ICOM Preprints, Edinburgh, Vol. II, p.670-79, 1996.

Authority

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966 Comment: p. 231

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 722

• Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985

• Identification of Textile Materials, The Textile Institute, Manchester, England, 1985 Comment: p. 13

• Website address 1 Comment: www.fabrics.net