Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Visit
  • Exhibitions & Events
  • Art & Design
  • Search

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • The Collection
  • Projects & Publications
  • Past Exhibitions

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Introduction

Asian Textiles in Trade

February 23 - June 6, 2004

Throughout recorded history, Asian textiles have been important international trade commodities. Chinese silks began arriving in Europe over the Silk Road through Central Asia in antiquity. Indian printed cottons were exported to Egypt at least as early as the 13th century and to Europe in the 17th century. Indian silks and cottons were also sent eastward to Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Chinese and Indian textiles have found their way to Japan since very early times. Shawls from Kashmir and carpets from Turkey graced the elegant women and the great houses of Europe. After the Revolutionary War, merchants brought silks and cottons from India and China back to both North and South America. Markets existed for both simple functional textiles and for elaborate luxury goods, both generally the output of organized manufacture.

The development of trade and transmission of design and technology affected both the producing and consuming cultures. Although the novelty of exoticism frequently contributed to the initial popularity of a new product from afar, importers often later requested color and/or pattern modifications from producers in order to cater to specific markets. Demand for some fabrics became so great that new processes were found to accelerate production. The popularity of Asian goods spurred the growth of new textile industries in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The textile trade has remained vibrant into the 21st century. Some Asian countries have developed large mechanized textile industries to manufacture for global markets. Then again, some entrepreneurs and organizations have continued or re-established craft businesses, providing opportunities for sustainable local development and preserving traditional skills. Examples from the permanent collection illustrate the artistic and technical excellence of Asian textiles and how their trade has connected cultures throughout the world for hundreds of years.

Selected Objects

Turkish, Turkey Anatolia

Fragment of small patterned Holbein carpet, 1500s

Reiko Sudo, designer

"Feather Flurries" textile length, 1993

Indian Gujarati, India Gujarat

Textile fragment, 1400s-1500s

Indian, Coromandel Coast India

Valance, early 1700s

Chinese, China

Blouse, late 1800s-early 1900s
No Image Available

Indian Gujarati, India Gujarat

Textile fragment, 1400s-1500s
No Image Available

Indian Gujarati, India Gujarat

Textile fragment, 1400s-1500s
No Image Available

Indian Gujarati, India Gujarat

Textile fragment, 1400s-1500s
No Image Available

China Seas Design Studio, design label

"Lim Bamboo" textile length, 1983

Tibetan Chinese, Tibet

Chupa (man's coat), 1900s

Indian, Kashmir

Shawl, 2nd quarter 1800s

Cambodian, Cambodia

Skirtcloth or hanging, late 1800s-early 1900s
No Image Available

Indian Gujarati, India Gujarat

Textile fragment, 1400s-1500s

Chinese, China

Blouse, late 1800s-early 1900s

Chinese, China

Man's vest, ca. 1845

Javanese, Indonesia Java

Hip wrapper, after 1925

The Maki Textile Studio, manufacturer

Two Scarves, ca. 2001

The Maki Textile Studio, manufacturer

Two Scarves, ca. 2001

Chinese, China

Shawl, mid 1800s

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Asian Textiles in Trade

February 23 - June 6, 2004
View Checklist PDF

RISD Museum

  •  Facebook
  •  Twitter
  •  Instagram
  •  Vimeo
  •  Pinterest
  •  SoundCloud

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Give
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Secondary

  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use