Textiles: 1400 to 1700

The global production, use, and circulation of textiles were of great economic and cultural importance throughout the period 1400–1700, a span of time generally characterized as the Renaissance. In the period 1400–1700 the types and varieties of textiles proliferated and were frequently traded and gifted over large distances. For their users, textiles, in their multiple forms, were markers of distinction as well as functional everyday items. Traditionally, writing on textiles in the Renaissance has been influenced by two trends. First, the distinction of 19th-century scholars between “fine” and “decorative arts” tended to prioritize painting, sculpture, and architecture rather than textiles. Second, a divide between the art historical approach and the economic history approach has characterized the study of textile history. Since the turn of the 21st century, the range of approaches to the study of Renaissance textiles has widened considerably to attempt to bring together and, indeed, challenge and extend these approaches. In particular, a focus has emerged on examining the global role of textiles as objects in trade and diplomacy, recognizing their roles as objects that moved across boundaries and their role in shaping market economies and merchant strategies. In addition, important work has been undertaken on the ways textiles functioned as consumer items and on the ways they shaped spaces in homes and residences. Textiles have also been considered as performative actors that shaped emotions and actions.