Conservation of the Nineteenth Century Silk Embroidered Portieres
Heritage Week 2025
Conservation of the Nineteenth Century Portieres for the Ballroom at Farmleigh House by Karen Horton, Independent Textile Conservator
Edward Guinness purchased Farmleigh House and Estate in 1873. He commissioned a major renovation and extension programme to extend the house to the west and add a third floor, which took place between 1881 and 1884 . The ballroom was added in 1896.
Many of the houses features were commissioned by Guinness including the decorative wood carvings in the ballroom. The set of fourteen portieres were commissioned by Edward for the ballroom and adjacent small drawing room and are affixed to the walls to frame the windows and doorways with each portieres embroidery mirroring the designs of the wood cravings.
Farmleigh House and Estate was purchased from the 4th Earl of Iveagh by the State in 1999 and designated as “an official State guest house” for visiting heads of State and dignitaries and today Farmleigh is operated by the Office of Public Works.
Karen’s talk will focus on the conservation of these rare and exquisite textiles which she has undertaken over several years. The silk ground fabric as would be expected in textiles of this age was highly deteriorated and brittle resulting in fracturing of the fibres, numerous splits and areas of loss, fading from light damage, foxing, and simply from gravitational forces as a result of hanging in situ for over a hundred years. She will discuss both the treatment methods and materials used to structurally support and protect the silk whilst still retaining the integrity of the textiles as well as the new hanging display system she has designed allowing them to be displayed for future generations to enjoy.
Karen Horton trained as an archaeological conservator at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, and then chose to specialise in Textile Conservation, training at the Textile Conservation Centre in the United Kingdom. Karen works internationally as an independent textile conservator for museums and heritage institutions. In Ireland she conserves a diverse range of textile objects including historic Tibetan Thangkas and Imperial Chinese Dragon Robes for the Chester Beatty Museum to the conservation of Hinamatsuri Dolls, for Farmleigh House and the robes of the Knights of the Order of St Patrick for Dublin Castle.
Tickets are free for this heritage Week event but advance booking is essential. Click to book. Suitable for over 12s.
