Europe's Asian Centuries: Asian Textiles in France 1680-1760

Imported from India, China, the Levant, and Persia and appreciated for their diversity, designs, fast bright colours and fine weave, Asian textiles became so popular in France that in 1686 the state banned their import, consumption and imitation. A fateful decision. This book tells the story of smuggling on a vast scale, savvy retailers and rebellious consumers. It also reveals how reformers in the French administration itself sponsored a global effort to acquire the technological know-how necessary to produce such textiles and how the vitriolic debates surrounding the eventual abolition of the ban were one of the decisive moments in the development of Enlightenment economic liberalism.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2016-02-03

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9781349684717

DOI: 10.1057/9781137444882

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 266