Yes, this is a very trendy idea.

And it clicks another association for me.

A few years ago at a Textile Museum Convention, Ned Long, presented a summary of what scientific tests could do about the questions that interest rug collectors. For example, he gave an explanation of carbon dating.

His time was cut short, but part of what he reported was that it is expected that we will be able, before long, to take a sample of wool and through analysis determine where the sheep, from which it came, lived.

This, of course, should be an aid to attribution, although wool can travel some distance after shearing, as it is spun and dyed and then woven. So many questions of attribution may still be asked in 2101. But it seems likely that pretty routinely collectors will be able to tell where the wool in their rugs came from geographically.

Regards,

R. John Howe