Treasures from the Sea Material Culture and Preservation

The University of Amsterdam has been involved in research dedicated to aunique archaeological collection with objects from a 17th century shipwreck found near Texel, an island in the north of the Netherlands. Sport divers brought a very wealthy collection of textiles and precious metal objects to the surface. Research has focused on material technical analysis and preservation of the objects. To show the textile objects in a permanent exhibition, anoxic showcases were developed based on research performed on model samples and a small fragment with a low cultural value from the textile collection. This paper presents a short overview of the research performed and discusses the impact it had on museum Kaap Skil, where the textiles are currently shown. In addition, the research devoted to precious metal objects resulted in a conservation and research strategy which has been integrated into KNA guidelines for archaeological metal objects.