The Unknown Processional Banner from the Heritage of Diocese of Chełmno in the Collection of the Diocesan Museum in Toruń

Abstract

In the collection of the Diocesan Museum in Toruń (MDT) there is a rare, 17th-century parament – a processional  banner, painted on both sides (oil on canvas) with the obverse embroidered with silk and gold threads, showing a Saint of the Benedictine Order (St Gertrude or St Scholastica) and St Bishop (Adalbert?). The object was preserved in a destructed state and its exact provenance and history are unknown. Based on the iconography and handicraft features, analogous to other early modern embroidered textiles from the region, it can be assumed with high probability as an element of the legacy of the  Benedictine Nuns of the Chełmno congregation, probably from Toruń. The article presents the results of iconographic and historical study and technological investigation (NIR, UV, XRF) carried out on the object during its preparation for the temporary exhibition “Diocesis nostrae patroni. The shared heritage of the Chełmno and Toruń dioceses” in MDT in 2022, and later (during the exhibition). The authors emphasize its unique value in terms of functions and historical value as a post-dissolution heritage, as well as draw attention to the serious conservation and exhibition challenges related to it, addressing which could cause a  number of dilemmas, but also bring new solutions to the practice of preservation of historic textiles and the issues of designing a museum exhibition.