Chinese Silk: A Cultural History by Shelagh Vainker

Chinese Silk: A Cultural History by Shelagh Vainker

Silk is one of China's major contributions to world civilisation, the secrets of its cultivation closely guarded for generations. The famous network of trade routes between West and East is still known as the Silk Road. The organisation and techniques of Chinese silk production, the uses of the silk produced - both bolts and made-up pieces - and the types and styles of its ornament are here considered in a highly illustrated and accessible general survey, the first of its kind to be published in English. Tracing the story of silk in China from its neolithic origins to the twentieth century, the author considers its relationship to the other decorative arts as well as the role of silk in Chinese history, trade, religion and literature. Drawing upon the most up-to-date archaeological evidence from other, less perishable media such as jades and bronzes as well as paintings, poems and other texts, this book brings together material hitherto available only in Chinese with recent acquisitions by public and private collections in the USA and Europe to illuminate the luxury of silk through the ages.

Shelagh Vainker is the author of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain (BMP 1995) and a co-author of The British Museum Book of Chinese Art (BMP 1992). She also wrote the essay on textiles in Caves of the Thousand Buddhas: Chinese art from the Silk Route. Formerly a curator in the Department of Oriental Antiquities in the British Museum, she is now Assistant Keeper of Eastern Art, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780714114798
ISBN 10	0714114790
Title	Chinese Silk: A Cultural History
Author	Shelagh Vainker
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	British Museum Press
Year published	2004-04-19
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable