 |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|||||||||
     |
2000 Bizarre Silks An Exoticism from around 1700 7th May - 5th November 2000 daily 2 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. In the quest for political pre-eminence, the East Indian companies were founded in England, Holland, and later also in France, in seventeenth century Europe. The successful activity of these trading companies opened up new horizons for the old continent. Whole cargoes of porcelain, lacquer work and textiles reached Europe and stimulated the imagination of artists. It is therefore hardly surprising that East Asian influences should have made themselves felt in textile design too. The 64 bizarre silks shown in the Abegg Foundation exhibition are an impressive testimony to this wave of European enthusiasm for Asia. The patterns generally embodying parallel diagonal lines are often reminiscent of Japanese models with their flowing style. Many of the individual motifs were however inspired by Chinese prototypes. All these different influences were assimilated in Europe and reflected in precious bizarre style damask fabrics with their rich décor in gold and silver thread. |
||
 |