Sadly no patterns or diagrams are currently available, as the textile research results are not yet ready for publication.

This is one of the issues that has also puzzled researchers. There are dozens of wrecks in the vicinity, but none of them have yielded any textiles in a presentable state. Even a woollen sock in an advanced state of degradation is a rare find, leading to the conclusion that local underwater conditions are very detrimental to the survival of textile fibres. So what’s different here? We suspect that the gowns were exposed to almost no oxygen for centuries, and oxygen is a prime driver of decay. They were stored in heavy chests, while the wreck itself was submerged beneath the sediment for most of its existence, only recently washing free. In that sense, the divers were likely at the right place at the right time, before further decay could occur.

As the fabric of this gown was woven in with silver. I think that the antimicrobial property of that metal may have retarded the degradation of the silk which also resists degradation. That and the lack of oxygen may have all combined to preserve the gown.

The cloth of silver consists of straight strips of silver that have been woven into the fabric. The pattern is shaped in the weaving process, by varying the quantity of threads drawn over (or underneath) the silver strip to suit the desired pattern.

@@MuseumKaapSkil Ohhh, so was the silver only used in the warp, or was it also used in the weft?