Ultraviolet Light Reveals Restorations and Forgeries Related to Rugs!
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Those involved with the forensic sciences and the fine arts could tell
you a lot about the benefits of ultraviolet light. After all, they utilize
it frequently to detect forgeries and prior repairs. But did you know
that it is also a handy tool for conservators? A fraudster can put in
his best efforts, but ultraviolet light will show up earlier restorations
in a rug, as well as deliberate alterations made to inscribed dates.
Turkish shopkeepers might go in for wool that has been unraveled from
old kilims; so it is rather difficult to distinguish between the old and
new dyes via ultraviolet light. However, it is very rarely that someone
manages to get away!
Now, let us get a little information about how this UV light works. Suppose
the conservator is examining wool that has been dyed. The wool is able
to absorb as well as reflect light; different colors will give different
impressions. Colors are combined “in the needle” or just picked. This
continues till the new resultant color is similar to the old dyed wool.
Even if one seems a bit more green and the other a mixture of blue and
yellow, for example, it is enough to tell the repairer the truth! This
method proves very helpful if the restorer has carefully re-piled blocks
of rug.
Further, there are vast differences between antique rugs and modern rugs.
The former uses natural dyes, while the latter goes in for synthetic ones.
Ultraviolet optical properties of these colors show up under UV light.
We can therefore think of at least three advantages of utilizing ultraviolet
light. The illumination focuses on contrasts between new and old wools;
hence, recent repairs can be picked out easily. Secondly, some dyes tend
to fluoresce or glow; this will aid in picking out wool that have been
synthetically colored. Taking photographs is possible—whether colored
or black and white. The areas which have been affected by UV light will
show up, and there you have the previous repairs (in lighter colors) or
frauds highlighted! The equipment required for UV color photography is
quite affordable. The snag is that one should have enough technical know-how
to obtain excellent results. Another option is to have patience and go
through a trial and error process till one gets it right!
Ultraviolet light can be very harmful to human eyes. In fact, the retina
can suffer damage that is immediate or permanent or too serious to be
completely repaired. So it has to be handled carefully. You will notice
that professionals hardly look directly at the UV lamp or even the illumination
cast by it for more than a few seconds at a time. So maybe, it would be
wiser to let an expert handle it?
