Arrayed in Splendour: Art, Fashion, and Textiles in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

by Christoph Brachmann (Editor)

Overview

Precious textiles, fabrics, embroideries, and tapestries played an important role in medieval and early modern cultures of representation. Reasons for such a high esteem of textile arts are not only the enormous material value of gold and silk, which had to be imported from distant regions, but also the extremely complex and time-consuming production conditions, including a level of technical expertise that was present only in a few highly specialized centers. In stark contrast to the medieval and early modern reception, it was only in recent years, that in art history the narrow view of the textile arts as an applied art and therefore a low one has undergone a fundamental shift. The aim of this volume is to give an insight in the current state of research on the topic. Ranging from the twelfth to the seventeenth century, the essays of leading scholars in the field offer a window into the complexity of the textile arts, including as regards the medium itself: from the overpowering splendor of liturgical and princely garments and the luxurious fabrics used for them in the Middle Ages and early modern period to the visual world of monumental room decorations in the form of tapestries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9782503579658
Publisher:	Brepols Publishers
Publication date:	05/22/2019
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)

Editorial Reviews

". . . the book broadens our understanding of a medium that moved across the globe like no other art form, and whose semantic properties often derived as much from the distance travelled as from material value or iconographic symbolism. The high-quality illustrations make the book a pleasure to behold. Furnished with a glossary of technical terms and an extensive bibliography, the volume speaks to experts and a lay audience alike." Brandner, Christine Rheo, Speculum 96/3 (July 2021) "This collection, based on a series of lectures at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2011 to 2013, seeks to elevate the status of historical textiles in the art world to the way they were perceived at their creationas very expensive, meaningful,and luxurious pieces of art . . . The page size does allow for wonderful color illustrations, many of extant textiles, that are large enough to show detail without the need for a magnifying glass and complement the text well." Frasson-Hudson, Gina, Medieval Clothing and Textiles, vol.16

From the Publisher