Evaluating the Historical Accuracy of Blackwork Embroidery Patterns with Fractal Analysis
Location
Access Type
Open Access
Entry Number
34
Start Date
4-7-2021 3:45 PM
End Date
4-7-2021 4:00 PM
Department
Mathematics
Abstract
The intricate monochromatic embroidery that graced the collars and cuffs of Renaissance nobility and various domestic materials preserved from that era, a style known as blackwork, for it was traditionally done in black silk on white linen, has been little studied outside the historical costuming and crafting communities. Fractal analysis offers a means of objectively quantifying the complexity of blackwork designs and new lens through which to examine this embroidery technique. In this study, recreations of historical blackwork patterns from the Renaissance period, historically-inspired, and modern blackwork patterns were gathered. The fractal dimensions of these patterns were calculated using Fractal Count, a fractal analysis plugin for the ImageJ software. Subsequent statistical analyses will allow questions to be asked, and hopefully answered, about change in the complexity of blackwork designs over time and as a result of various technical, artistic, and sociocultural factors. Additionally, this study looks for trends in historical blackwork patterns that can be used to evaluate the historical accuracy of modern historically-inspired patterns.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Laura KicklighterDr. Danny ClineChelsea TInklenberg
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Evaluating the Historical Accuracy of Blackwork Embroidery Patterns with Fractal Analysis
The intricate monochromatic embroidery that graced the collars and cuffs of Renaissance nobility and various domestic materials preserved from that era, a style known as blackwork, for it was traditionally done in black silk on white linen, has been little studied outside the historical costuming and crafting communities. Fractal analysis offers a means of objectively quantifying the complexity of blackwork designs and new lens through which to examine this embroidery technique. In this study, recreations of historical blackwork patterns from the Renaissance period, historically-inspired, and modern blackwork patterns were gathered. The fractal dimensions of these patterns were calculated using Fractal Count, a fractal analysis plugin for the ImageJ software. Subsequent statistical analyses will allow questions to be asked, and hopefully answered, about change in the complexity of blackwork designs over time and as a result of various technical, artistic, and sociocultural factors. Additionally, this study looks for trends in historical blackwork patterns that can be used to evaluate the historical accuracy of modern historically-inspired patterns.