On Sun, 28 Nov 2010, Chris Laning wrote:
I think the other major distinguishing characteristic of what we call "denim"
is that it has colored threads in one direction and white threads in the
other. Offhand I don't know which is warp and which is weft, though. Anyone?
And of course paintings can't tell us what fibers were used for this very
jeans-like material. The fabric in the paintings could well have been either
linen (which takes indigo dye pretty well) or wool (which you'd expect for
outer garments). Although cotton certainly existed and was used (especially
in Italy) I'd want to find out more about _how_ cotton was used before I'd
conclude that this is identical to modern denim. Cotton thread strong enough
to use for weaving is a different thing than cotton batting used for stuffing
(for which I think we have better pre-1800s documentation).
____________________________________________________________
O Chris Laning <[email protected]> - Davis, California
+ http://paternoster-row.org - http://paternosters.blogspot.com
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If I interpret Maureen Fennell Mazzaoui's "The Italian Cotton Industry in
the Later Middle Ages, 1100-1600" correctly, the Italian peasants were
very likely wearing indigo-dyed cotton twill. Cotton was still a major
product in Italy in the 17th century, and sturdy cotton twill fabrics
would have been cheaper and more easily available to the lower classes
than wool or linen.
Also, having dyed all three fabrics with indigo, the colors in the
paintings are more indicative of indigo on cotton--indigo on wool in that
saturation is either a very long dyebath or several trips through,
which would make it more expensive. On linen it's pretty much the same.
Cotton *loves* indigo--it sucks it right up. Wool and linen, not nearly so
much.
Jen Getty
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