IDENTIFICATION OF FIBRES FROM BYZANTINE AND POST-BYZANTINE ICONS OF THE MUSEUM OF BYZANTINE CULTURE IN THESSALONIKI: USE OF OM, SEM AND SPSS ANALYSIS

Fibre samples from the fabric support of 33 Eastern Orthodox icons dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries A.D, owned by the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Greece, were studied in order to identify the construction material of their fabric substrate. The methods employed included sampling, preparation on glass slides, Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (Sigma EM), and use of Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS for the categorisation, visualisation and statistical analysis of the results. OM and SEM observations led to the recording of morphological features of the fibre types, allowing their identification as linen, cotton and hemp. SEM was proven valuable in the identification of features not otherwise visible, which helped distinguish between fibres of a similar appearance. OM and SEM observations combined, also led to notes on the preservation state of the fabric substrate, and the presence of foreign matter trapped within the fibres. Initial graphs prepared in an Excel environment suggest that linen is the predominant material for most centuries and most sizes of icons. Yet statistical analysis with SPSS through one way ANOVA, cross tabulation and chi-square tests contradict the initial conclusions. It is stressed out the importance and need of statistical analysis for the drawing of safe conclusions regarding the interpretation of results.