Help

 

IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE ENGLISH VERSION

If the user chooses the English version of the database, it currently means that the database interface including field descriptions and auxiliary apparatus (help, dictionaries, etc.) is in English, but the actual (meta)data content of the database is only in Czech. That is why the examples of values of individual fields in this help are also given in Czech and marked with {curly brackets} for better clarity.

 

Content and structure of the database

The Beauty Patterns database contains over two hundred records of liturgical fabrics from various parishes of the Brno diocese. Individual fabric records are represented by a digital photographic image of the fabric and a metadata description, which includes detailed technological characteristics of the fabric and administrative metadata. The technological description of the fabric includes:

  1. the designation (title) of the fabric created by the characteristics of the base colour, base technique and pattern characteristic (e.g. {Bílé gros de Tours se spirálovitě svinutými úponky}, {Modrý (dříve bílý s barevným dekorem) damašek s rozvilinou z exotických prvků}, or {Cihlově červený lampas se stříbrnou květenou});

  2. catalogue number (unique numerical designation of the fabric);

  3. period information in the form of a time period (e.g. 1690–1705) and a definition of the style period (e.g. {baroko});

  4. the textile type (e.g. {kasule}, {štola}, {kalichové velum}) and the manner of its decoration – the field of usage method (e.g. {Kasule: Plochy střihu lemující pektorální a dorsální stipes});

  5. information on the associated fabrics (in the field usage method) and decoration (field relation);

  6. the content characteristics of the decoration expressed by:

    • pattern type (e.g. {bizarní dekor}, {naturalistický dekor}, {symetrický dekor (druhá polovina 17. století)});

    • the basic pattern subject (e.g. {geometrický}, {florální}, {krajinný});

    • the concretization of floral pattern (only in the floral type of decor – e.g. {frézie}, {exotická květena}, {růže});

    • a brief (pattern characteristic field) and more extensive pattern description;

  1. the minimal dimensions of the decoration, indicated by the pattern height and pattern width;

  2. the basic parameters of the fabric described as:

    • the base technique (e.g. {cannelé}, {atlas}, {lampas})

    • the base colour (e.g. {černá}, {stříbrná}, {hnědobílá})

    • the material of the fabric, i.e. how and with what the warp and weft are made;

    • the texture, base and effects of the fabric;

  1. detailed information on the structure of the fabric expressed

    • by description the complement,

    • by description the warp type,

    • and by an enumeration of the different types of weft (Broché weft; Lancé weft; Liseré weft; Metal-coated threads; Filé riant; Filé couvert; Ondé; Plate).

 

The entire corpus of fabrics can then be searched and browsed according to the selected descriptive parameters.

 

View records

Fabric records can be displayed in several ways:

  • in the form of simplified records, consisting of a preview of the fabric's decor and its brief characteristics (time period, base technique and base colour); this method of display is offered in reports and search results;

  • in the form of full records, which can be accessed by clicking on a simplified record and include a full photographic copy of the fabric and its comprehensive metadata description;

  • in the form of full-size photographs of fabrics, which can be accessed from the full record by clicking on the fabric decor preview; the full-size photograph of the fabric can also be downloaded in TIFF format;

  • by records comparison of two or more fabrics; this option can be found in the „Compare Items“ menu:

    • In the first step it is necessary to select the fabric records to be compared, namely:

      • for a simplified record, click on the link below the decor preview "Add to Comparison";

or

      • for a complete record, click on the "Add to Comparison" link at the end of the record;

At the moment of selecting the fabric to compare, the number of records added is updated in the "Compare Items" menu.

    • In the second step, click on the "Compare Items" link in the top right menu to display a comparison table with all the fabric records selected in the first step.

Records entered into the comparison table can be excluded one record at a time by clicking on the "Remove from the comparison" link.

 

Browsing the database

The main page of the database offers browsing in the form of an overview of simplified fabric records, which can be sorted according to selected criteria (time period, textile type, base technique, pattern subject). With the exception of the period criterion, which is displayed for each record, for the other three parameters the records are always grouped into sets according to the values of each parameter and labelled with the appropriate labels. Thus, for example, when selecting the base technique, the records are grouped into the sets {atlas}, {cannelé}, {cannelé simpleté}, {cannetillé}, {damašek}, {gros de Tours}, etc. At the second level, within these sets, the records are arranged chronologically in ascending order. Clicking on a particular simplified record opens the full fabric record in a new browser window.

Viewing the corpus of fabric records in this way is particularly useful when the users need to get a comprehensive idea of the contents of the database or when they want to view a variety of decors without further limiting criteria.

 

Searching the database

Any keyword (term, string) anywhere in all records in the database can be searched using the search box with the magnifying glass symbol above the main menu. The system automatically expands the entered strings from left and right – e.g. the character string {snov} searches for records containing the terms {snový}, {snovač}, {osnovou}, {osnovnými}, etc.

 

A separate page is used for parameterized searches, where you can select advanced criteria of the several types:

  • entering a text or number string:

    • keyword – the same principles and scope of the search as in the case of the above simple non-parametrized search using any keyword;

    • title – any string from the fabric title;

    • catalogue number – a three-digit number uniquely identifying the fabric record; for single- and double-digit digits, the number need not be filled in from the left with zeros;

    • year from / to – the time of creation of the fabric; the lower limit dates back to 1600, the upper to 1900 (outside this interval it makes no sense to search);

  • selection from single values (by repeated selection it is possible to select two or more items – records containing at least one of the specified values are searched):

    • textile type;

    • style period;

    • pattern type;

    • pattern subject;

    • floral patterns;

    • base colour;

    • base technique;

    • warp type;

  • by selecting a binary value – for fabric structure values Broché weft; Lancé weft; Liseré weft; Metal-coated threads; Filé riant; Filé couvert; Ondé and Plate, ticking the box indicates that the required record should contain the value (if the box is not ticked, the value is not considered in the search).

The results of a parameterized search can be sorted according to the same principles as for browsing (see above).

 

An additional feature is the visual search option, which is offered in the full record using link:

  • Similar images (Google)

In this case, the system uses an external algorithm to search images by similarity in non-university image databases. The search results are predetermined by this external algorithm and cannot be influenced by the database administrator in any way.

 

Additional features

Information about the creation and content of the Beauty Patterns database is available on the About page, and we can be contacted with general questions and comments via the form.