Byzantine Silk on the Silk Roads: Journeys between East and West, Past and Present

Description

With over 200 color illustrations, Byzantine Silk on the Silk Roads examines in detail the eclectic iconography of the Byzantine period and its impact on design and creativity today. Through an examination of the extraordinary variety of designs in these captivating silks, an international team of experts reveal that Byzantine culture was ever-moving and open to diverse influences across the length of the Silk Road. Commentaries from curators at key collections – including the Museum of Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian (Cooper Hewitt), the V&A and the Vatican – reveal the spread of silk embroidery and designs from East to West, and from West to East, from China to Rome, and from Constantinople to Korea. Drawing on exclusive imagery from worldwide collections within museums, churches and archives as case studies, their analysis of these unique woven silks explores the relationship between color and power, material culture and status, and offers broader insight into Byzantine culture, trade, society and ceremony. Byzantine Silk … takes us on a journey from the past to the present, too, where Byzantine story-telling and image-making is revisited, through color, imagery and pattern, in contemporary fashion collections. Exploring Byzantine culture through a contemporary filter, the book shows how the Byzantine era still influences textile and fashion designers today in their choices of materials and colors, and their utilization of images and patterns, acting as a unique source of inspiration to designers and creators in the 21st century. Cover Table of Contents Notes on Contributors Preface Sarah E. Braddock Clarke Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo 1 Silk Along the Silk Roads: Diversity and Eclecticism Sarah E. Braddock Clarke 2 Ancient Chinese Silk Textiles: Focusing on Warp-faced Silks Sae Ogasawara 3 A Study of Sassanian Brocade Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo 4 Byzantine Brocades: A Contribution from Art History Dr Tomoyuki Masuda 5 The Spread of Byzantine Silk Samite Towards the Jacquard Loom Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo 6 Four Categories of Ancient and Medieval Classical Figured Textiles: Considering Technical Innovations in the Prologue to the World History of Ancient and Medieval Figured Weaves Dr Kazuko Yokohari 7 Islamic Textiles Louise W. Mackie 8 On Medieval Lampas: Textiles in the Iberian Peninsula from the Al-Andalus Period Sílvia Saladrigas Cheng 9 Byzantine Court Dress Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo 10 Collections of Museums, Cathedrals and Churches Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo with Dominique Bénazeth, Toko Hirayama, Dr Rei Ito, Anne Hedeager Krag, Esclarmonde Monteil, Elena Ota, Alexandra Van Puyvelde, Kimberly Randall, Yoko Tanaka and Monica Vroon 11 Pattern and Colour in theByzantine Empire Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo 12 The Spread of Silk to Japan Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo 13 Warp-faced Brocade in Japan Shizuo Takata 14 Ancient Textiles Preserved in Japan, Reborn Kiyoshi Tatsumura Byzantine Samite: Chronological Charts of Civilizations and Textiles Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo and Sarah E. Braddock Clarke Glossary Sarah E. Braddock Clarke Bibliography Sarah E. Braddock Clarke List of Illustrations Sarah E. Braddock Clarke and Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo List of Maps Maps of East to West Silk Trade Routes –Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo List of Tables Ryoko Yamanaka Kondo Index Sarah E. Braddock Clarke