2023/

1-2

ISBN 978-88-8368-175-2

Roberto Tolaini

Pag. 123-

153

, DOI 10.17426/R09C05

Keywords: Silk, quality, differentiation strategy, Lyon, Piedmont, yarn counting.

Abstract: The aim of this essay is to address some specific but crucial issues on the evolution of the measurement practices of silk quality between 17th and 19th centuries in Europe: the establishment of the first silk conditioning and the invention of the titolo, which is the numbering of silk yarn.
These practices, linked to specific technologies, became essential to measure the physical characteristics of silk yarn.
The present paper examines how they appeared in the market space between Lyon and the Piedmont, which for more than a century was the center of the production of high quality silk in Europe. These innovations were related to specific evolution trends of the textiles market, of which the Grande Fabrique of Lyon was the protagonist.
The introduction of these measurement practices is indeed part of the history of merceological standards, as they enhanced the trust during the transactions. Furthermore, these practices strenghtened the competitive advantage, which Piedmontese silk entrepreneurs were able to build between 17th and 18th centuries, facilitating the distinction of product value as compared to the quality of other European or Asian silk threads.