Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Received: from str-m01.mail.aol.com (str-m01.mail.aol.com [172.21.28.97]) by air-yc03.mail.aol.com (v96.8) with ESMTP id MAILINYC34-39033f72eebe24b; Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:33:50 -0400 Received: from rly-xm01.mx.aol.com (rly-xm01.mail.aol.com [172.20.83.102]) by str-m01.mail.aol.com (v92.16) with ESMTP id RELAYIN9-a3f72ec8f1ee; Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:24:31 -0400 Received: from mail-2.tiscali.it (mail-2.tiscali.it [195.130.225.148]) by rly-xm01.mx.aol.com (v96.8) with ESMTP id MAILRELAYINXM19-5ef3f72ec7925d; Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:24:09 -0400 Received: from [217.58.190.214] by mail-2.tiscali.it with HTTP; Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:24:08 +0200 Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:24:08 +0200 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [lace] lace research/thread analysis To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-AOL-IP: 172.21.28.97 X-Mailer: Unknown (No Version)
Dear Devon, Lovely to receive your email. I take it from what you have written that you are at the Ratti Centre, how wonderful to be surrounded by so many beautiful things! In answer to your question, most of the work I do with fibre analysis is with an SEM (scanning electron micrograph)and does require a tiny sample to be taken from the lace...in the case of laces this is usually not a problem as so many object have cut ends. There are two problems with carbon dating, the first being that it requires a large amount of material and the second being that it really only provides a ball park figure in terms of date...very useful for archaeological artefacts but less so for relatively contemporary textiles. It is funny that you should mention the seperating of early laces from 19th century reproductions...I have myself been separating sheep from goats today, a very delicate job! I do think that thread analysis will help with the identification of these reproductions in the future, especially as most reproductions (here in Italy at least) were made in schools and therefor we do have examples that we absolutely know to be from these institutions and therefore something resembling a 'control' in an experimetal sense. But this is all beginning to happen! I was in the US earlier this year for a meeting about setting up a web-accessible data-base of fibre samples for use by textile conservators and researchers. This project really is in the pipeline, though its scale means it will take some years to develop. It is also being developed accross all kinds of textile objects and research as (as stated in my previous email) no branch of specialised research seems to have the funds to back such a project!), I think it is healthier like this anyway, professionals with different specialisations can always learn from each other. Anyway, it is time for my merenda (afternoon tea) and then I must get back to work! Kind regards, Angharad __________________________________________________________________ Partecipa al concorso Tiscali "collegati e vinci", il primo premio e' un viaggio per 2 persone a Zanzibar! http://point.tiscali.it/numerounico/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
