For the past 5 years, scientific research into textiles and dyes at the British Museum has mostly focused on the analysis of 19th-20th century textiles from various geographical areas with the aim to better understand the introduction of synthetic dyes into textile making practices across the globe. The most important case studies have featured Central Asian ikat textiles, Burmese garments, Korean textiles used in the mounting of paintings, Palestinian dress, Afghan war rugs, Javanese batik and pua textiles from Borneo. This research has highlighted a complex picture of differences and similarities across the case studies, so that additional research questions have emerged. These were captured in the project ‘DYE-a-LOG: A Global Reinterpretation of Synthetic Dye History in Non-European Textiles’, which emphasises the need for further scientific research and historical enquiry to shift from dominant Eurocentric perspectives that frame the development and spread of synthetic dyes as positive industrial progress to outward-looking narratives that restore agency to the various local and global stakeholders involved in the production, consumption and trade of 19th-century textiles. The project was generously funded by the European Research Council as a prestigious Consolidator Grant. It started in June 2026 and will enable 5 years of highly collaborative research across more than 15 institutions worldwide.

This talk will summarise the results of some recent case studies, particularly on Afghan war rugs, Palestinian dress, Javanese batik and pua textiles from Borneo. It will then introduce the DYE-a-LOG programme and its ambitious programme of research for the next 5 years.

​

Dr Diego Tamburini is the Scientist for Polymers and Modern Organic Materials at the British Museum. He is an analytical chemist and material scientist. He joined the Department of Scientific Research at the British Museum in 2016 with an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship, focusing on the identification of natural dyes in historical and archaeological textiles. In 2020, he moved to the National Museum of Asian Art as a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellow, before re-joining the British Museum in 2021 in his current role. He is an expert in the analysis of organic materials of cultural heritage interest and published extensively on this topic. He is currently the Principal Investigator of an ERC-funded project, "DYE-a-LOG - A Global Reinterpretation of Synthetic Dye History in Non-European Textiles" that aims to shed new light on the intricacies of the adoption of synthetic dyes across the world.