Christopher, Patina (from the Latin days) means plate. Stones aside, I had always been told that patina was the natural aging/changing of a surface and was desirable as it showed the elegance of age. Unlike a certified vehicle or botox it gets better and better "as time goes on". Aging is a good thing, eh? I had always thought patina referred to the patinating of bronze for beauty and protection. Now if you don't clean your plate, then it would be dirty and you would go to bed without dessert. Bad form or good patina? Best, Leland Leland R. S. Torrence Leland Torrence Enterprises and the Guild 17 Vernon Court, Woodbridge, CT 06525 Office: 203-397-8505 Fax: 203-389-7516 Pager: 860-340-2174 Mobile: 203-981-4004 E-mail: [log in to unmask] www.LelandTorrenceEnterprises.com _____ From: The listserv that Ruth calls "Pluto's spider-hole." [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 9:11 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [BP] another view of the term "patina" (someone pls cross post to New Discourse...) snipped by Christopher Gray from ConsDistList: <<<<Over the last years of my work as a conservator and microbiologist in the field of biodeterioration, I have encountered the term "patina" many times, however, sometimes in different contexts with different applications. The term "patina" in English originally referred to the stable green oxidation products that formed on copper alloy objects with age (generally copper carbonate). However, as languages do evolve, the meaning of the word has changed over time to mean just about any sort of visible surface change caused by age, and different professions will use the term with different meanings. While the original substance referred to by the term patina was stable, and even considered desirable, the things that can be referred to in modern times as a patina are not necessarily benign. The only quality that one can be sure the term patina refers to nowadays is that it refers to some sort of surface coating. Any other properties involved must be be determined from the context of who you are talking to and what type of situation is involved. From a conservation perspective the term patina still most commonly refers to the surface corrosion on copper objects, although it may not be limited to copper carbonate corrosion. It can be used with other metals, and even with other materials, referring to an aged surface--for example: with furniture it may refer to the accumulation of skin oils that have interacted with the finish over years of handling. Generally though, conservators tend to be less liberal with their stretching and reshaping of the language, and would not be likely to use other variant meanings of the word unless they had become well established in the language. Valerie Tomlinson former conservator>>> -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>