< Back to previous page

Researcher

Natalia Ortega Saez

  • Research Expertise:Natalia Ortega Saez has expertise in materials science and materials research, degradation and conservation of organic materials such as; interior textiles, archaeological textiles, fashion and costume, natural dyes, leather and early synthetic materials. Within her thesis research she developed an interdisciplinary methodology to approach textile conservation from both the human and exact sciences. In particular, the methodology combines the interpretation and reproduction of historical technology as documented in written sources (e.g., recipes) on the one hand, and the material-technical characterization of historical objects on the other. To this end, recipes for wool dyeing were reproduced in a laboratory environment and artificially aged to assess various degradation phenomena such as the reduction of tensile strength and the fading of dye colors. This integrated study of the history, technology, and practice of textile dyeing was conducted with the specific goal of increasing our understanding of the long-term behavior of historic textiles and developing appropriate conservation strategies.
  • Keywords:RESTORATION, ART AND CRAFT, CONSERVATION, MATERIAL SCIENCES, HISTORICAL HERITAGE, ART CONSERVATION, MATERIALS CHARACTERISATION, Architecture, town and country planning
  • Disciplines:Historical materials and production methods, Material science for conservation-restoration, Conservation-restoration science not elsewhere classified, Critical heritage, Heritage conservation management
  • Research techniques:Research into degradation phenomena: tensile strength measurements, artificial aging, colorimetry, FTIR and XRF, Microscopy
  • Users of research expertise:Heritage, museums, historical collection, historical houses