As silks age, distinguishing Chinese or Western origins for the fabric from physical characteristics alone is not possible. Leanna Lee-Whitman of CIGNA Corp., philadelphia, PA (USA), obtained a piece of painted silk in England. She and Maruta Skelton of the Winterthur (Delaware) Museum traced the origin of this cloth: the method involved examination of the brush strokes and paint thickness, and pigment analysis. The x-ray fluorescence analyzer identified traces of silver, a distinctly Chinese painting technique, and the presence of iron oxide and malachite, and a ground of lead-white. This non-destructive method is particularlyuseful in the study of worn and fragile textiles, although frequently used in the analysis of glass and metal artwork. -- AATA