The Fabric

Detail: X-ray image, left edge of painting		Detail: Huckaback weave
The fabric, presumed to be of bast fibers, has a pattern weave of the huckaback classification, characterized by alternating areas of plain weave and warp floats. Bast fibers are a class of fibers that includes linen, hemp, and jute. The huckaback weave produces firm and absorbent fabrics traditionally used for toweling. The texture of the weave is visible on the surface of the painting as a regular, diagonally-oriented pattern. Tacking margins (the original edges of the fabric used to tack the painting to the stretcher) have been lost from all four sides of the painting. The x-radiographs show that the edges of the picture have been distorted - a condition known as cusping. This deformation of the fabric occurs at the points where the canvas was stretched and attached to its original stretcher. The distortion of threads at these points becomes permanent when the ground layer is applied. The cusping patterns seen here suggest that the present size of the painting is quite close to its original dimensions. The absence of seams confirms that it is a single piece of fabric that must have been woven on a loom at least 165 centimeters (approximately 65 inches) wide.

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