In Turku Cathedral, South West Finland, a
remarkable assemblage of medieval relics and related items is preserved.[1] After
bone, the second most common material in the assemblage are textiles including e.g.
second-class relics, reliquaries, relic wrappings, a relic pouch, and a
fragment of a dress for a sculpture of St. Mary. The materials of the fabrics
are silk, cotton, linen, nettle and wool. There are three relatively large red
fabrics in the assemblage. The possible lining of a reliquary is all cotton
which may indicate a non-European origin. The red silk wrapping of the
so-called skull relic has been considered Chinese.[2] Another
silk wrapping of the skull relic is beige in colour and without any details
referring to its provenance. Dye composition and mordants have been analysed to
investigate the dye technology behind which might be helpful to further elucidate
the geographical origin of the fabrics.

[1] The relic assemblage has been researched since 2007 by the Turku
Cathedral Relics Research Project led by Prof Jussi-Pekka Taavitsainen / Turku
University.

[2] Geijer 1954, 294, 296; Nordman 1954, 304–305.