Chemical, morphological and mechanical study of the ageing of textile flax fibers from 17th/18th-century paintings on canvas

A variety of techniques were used to investigate flax yarns sampled from four selected Italian paintings on canvas dated between the 17th and 18th centuries compare them with a modern yarn. The goal was establish their state preservation highlight critical issues thanks combined approach that SEM, atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation, nuclear magnetic resonance, second harmonic generation imaging microscopy FTIR spectroscopy. condition fibres assessed, results showed two canvases in generally good preservation, while other exhibited signs biological attack brittleness due previous re-lining intervention.