☰

Arts & Photography

Decorative Arts & Design

Textile & Costume

Cashmere: A French Passion 1800-1880

$ 974

Availability: Currently in Stock

Delivery: 10-20 working days

Cashmere: A French Passion 1800-1880

A revised and expanded edition of Monique LÃ©vi-Strauss's classic 1987 book on French cashmere shawls with superb photographs and a wealth of archive material
The delicate beauty of the cashmere shawl was first brought to Europe by the East India Companies and Napoleon's campaigns. Woven in Kashmir, its fabric was so light that, according to legend, a whole shawl could be passed through a finger ring. Exquisite and expensive, by the nineteenth century these shawls were highly sought-after in France; enterprising French manufacturers soon saw that there was a market for more accessibly priced versions and started to create their own.

Here is the story of French cashmere shawls of the nineteenth century. At first, the shawl-makers strove to imitate the traditional hand-made designs using modern techniques of mass production, but then they began to explore and innovate. As weaving technology evolved, motifs grew increasingly complex, expanding from the decorative borders and extending across the whole surface of the shawl and filling it with jewel-like colors. 298 illustrations, 268 in color
Country USA
Brand Thames & Hudson
Manufacturer Thames & Hudson
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2013-11-22
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780500517123

You might also like...

Muslin

The Fabric of India

The Fabric of India

Selling Silks: A Merchant's Sample Book

Selling Silks: A Merchant's Sample Book

Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th–21st Century (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th–21st Century (Cleveland Museum of Art)