The jury unanimously selected Torres for the innovative topic, the meticulous condition assessments, the comprehensive design of the research, and the potential impact her work will have for caring for Korean textile collections worldwide.

The other nominees were:

• Isis de Lange (Paintings) with a study on the effect of particle size on the optical, working, and chemical properties of stack-process lead white;
• Jack Paijmans (Technical Art History) with a study on hand-colouring and applied colour practices in Dutch nineteenth-century photography;
• Shi Kin Tan (Contemporary Art) with research on authenticity in time-based media art through Jeffrey Shaw’s Points of View (1983);
• Alissa Yong (Glass and Ceramics) with a study on a Roman glass beaker suspected to be a pastiche, analysed using LA-ICP-MS and PCA.

Vivid colours

Torres’ research focused on eight late nineteenth-century Hanbok garments from the Wereldmuseum Leiden, produced during the transition towards the use of early synthetic organic dyes (ESODs). While such dyes allowed for vivid colours, they are chemically unstable and prone to degradation. Through visual and tactile assessment, historical research, and material analysis, Torres identified environmental exposure, material instability, and storage or display conditions as factors contributing to varied fading patterns. Her findings offer significant insights for the preservation and presentation of Korean dress collections worldwide.

About the Rijksmuseum Migelien Gerritzen thesis award

Since 2013, the Rijksmuseum has awarded the Migelien Gerritzen thesis award to a Master’s student in Conservation and Restoration at the University of Amsterdam. The award consists of a cheque worth €1,000. The award was initiated by the Migelien Gerritzen Fund/Rijksmuseum Fund, established in remembrance of Migelien Gerritzen through a generous bequest that supports educational projects in conservation, restoration, and technical art history.