Reframing Medeival Velvets: From Ritual to Museum Context

Examining objects through the lens of secondary use draws attention to their history, questioning what they once were and what they have become. From a museological standpoint, these transformations are particularly significant, as they enhance the informational value of artifacts and multiply their semantic potential.

In this context, museum examples of medieval textiles, such as those in the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, are especially revealing. Its collection of samples includes cut-voided or brocaded silk velvets that were once part of larger items, such as garments, as indicated by their shape and snipped seams. Unlike ordinary remnants of fabric, museum space considers these fragments as carriers of cultural information, enabling them to represent historical significance.

Thus, the goal of this paper is to emphasize the museological challenge of understanding this fragmented heritage in terms of functional reuse and the reconfiguration of meaning. A key role in addressing this challenge is played by the comparison of digitized museum collections, which enables the identification and attribution of textiles and supports more layered interpretations.

Mikhailova, Alena. “Reframing Medeival Velvets: From Ritual to Museum Context” in Recycles of Dress. Costume Society of America. 52nd Annual National Meeting and Symposium. Charlotte NC May 31- June 4, 2026: 40