Challenges in the conservation and restoration of processional banners – a case study

Processional banners are one of the most recurrent symbols used in processions and religious festivities, incorporating them since the Middle Age. As these pieces are composed of different materials and subjected to constant handling, they often exhibit severe degradation, posing as a challenge for its conservation and restoration. This case study is focused on a processional banner, presumably from the 18th century, depicting, on one side, Saint Michael Archangel and, on the other, Our Lady of the Rosary. The intervention was supported by several analytical techniques such as textile fibres analysis, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results provided a better insight on the technological features of the object.