Hst-of-Velvet-art - 9/11/09 ਀ഊ"A Brief History of Velvet" by Master Giles de Laval ਀ഊNOTE: See also the files: velvet-msg, textiles-msg, cotton-msg, silk-msg, piled-fabrics-msg, weaving-msg, Fiber-Survey-art, color-a-fab-bib, linen-msg. ਀ഊ************************************************************************ ਀一伀吀䤀䌀䔀 ⴀഊ ਀吀栀椀猀 愀爀琀椀挀氀攀 眀愀猀 猀甀戀洀椀琀琀攀搀 琀漀 洀攀 戀礀 琀栀攀 愀甀琀栀漀爀 昀漀爀 椀渀挀氀甀猀椀漀渀 椀渀 琀栀椀猀 猀攀琀 ഊof files, called Stefan's Florilegium. ਀ഊThese files are available on the Internet at: ਀栀琀琀瀀㨀⼀⼀眀眀眀⸀昀氀漀爀椀氀攀最椀甀洀⸀漀爀最ഊ ਀䌀漀瀀礀爀椀最栀琀 琀漀 琀栀攀 挀漀渀琀攀渀琀猀 漀昀 琀栀椀猀 昀椀氀攀 爀攀洀愀椀渀猀 眀椀琀栀 琀栀攀 愀甀琀栀漀爀⸀ഊ ਀圀栀椀氀攀 琀栀攀 愀甀琀栀漀爀 眀椀氀氀 氀椀欀攀氀礀 最椀瘀攀 瀀攀爀洀椀猀猀椀漀渀 昀漀爀 琀栀椀猀 眀漀爀欀 琀漀 戀攀 ഊreprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first ਀漀爀 挀栀攀挀欀 昀漀爀 愀渀礀 瀀攀爀洀椀猀猀椀漀渀猀 最爀愀渀琀攀搀 愀琀 琀栀攀 攀渀搀 漀昀 琀栀椀猀 昀椀氀攀⸀ഊ ਀                               吀栀愀渀欀 礀漀甀Ⰰഊ Mark S. Harris ਀                                    䄀䬀䄀㨀  匀琀攀昀愀渀 氀椀 刀漀甀猀ഊ stefan at florilegium.org ਀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀⨀ഊ ਀䄀 䈀爀椀攀昀 䠀椀猀琀漀爀礀 漀昀 嘀攀氀瘀攀琀ഊby Master Giles de Laval ਀ഊWhen researching the history of clothing, the question of when velvet first appeared occurs frequently. Velvet was a highly prized luxury textile in Europe during the later Middle Ages, but its origins remain somewhat unclear, as well as how this fabric came to be introduced to Europe. ਀ഊVelvet is a pile weave fabric; that is, a fabric that has an extra set of yarns woven or tied into the ground and projecting from it as cut ends or loops. Pile weaving is used to create a large range of fabrics: terry pile towelling, corduroy, velvet, velveteen and Oriental rugs. Velvet is produced by creating loops in an extra set of warp yarns by inserting narrow rods during the weaving process. Corduroy and velveteen are produced by a similar method where the loops are formed by pulling up the main or supplementary weft yarns. To form cut velvet, a blade on the end of the rods cuts the loops as the rod is removed, making the soft cut pile surface characteristic of velvet. By omitting this step, a loop pile fabric is formed. It is not known if these definitions existed in period; it is possible that a wide range of cut loop fabrics was referred to as velvet, whether they were made with loops in the warp or the weft. ਀ഊThis weaving technique was used to produce a wide variety of fabrics, from fine lightweight textiles to heavy-duty coverings. Examples of silk and linen loop pile fabric date to fourth century Egypt. Fine silken textiles were highly valued in the Islamic cultures of the early Middle Ages and were major items in the treasuries of the Abbasid Caliphs. This is revealed in the list of treasures left by the great Caliph Haroun al-Rashid in 809 AD, which included 500 pieces (lengths) of velvet. It is interesting to note that of the 56 items in this list, 30 are various textile products. Next in importance was the Caliph's armoury, followed by cash, jewellery, perfume and fragrances, and various utensils. Velvet was difficult to manufacture and a fantastically costly if sought after luxury item. A mandil (handkerchief) is mentioned in a tenth century text as an important part of a gentleman of Baghdad's attire. These handkerchiefs were made of silk and sometimes linen, with a velvet texture, and the best Egyptian ones were likened in softness to "the inner membrane of an egg" and "softer than the zephyr". They were also extremely expensive, costing as much as a whole garment. ਀ഊWeavers skilled in the manufacture of velvet (and related textiles) came from Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, the latter fleeing when the French conquered the island in 1266. Many found refuge in the Italian city of Lucca, which was a centre for fine woollen textiles from 1100, also believed to be producing velvet by that time. Velvet textiles were being manufactured in Moorish Spain as early as 948 AD. The velvet weavers' guild of Florence was founded in 1247, and many other centres were established throughout Europe thereafter. The first English reference to velvet is in 1278 when Adinettus, the king's tailor, bought for him a velvet bed furnishing in Paris for 100 shillings. Velvet was in wide use as clothing by the first quarter of the 14th century and remained a fashion mainstay for several centuries. Italy and Spain remained the principal European centres of velvet production throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and by the 16th century it was very difficult to distinguish between Italian and Ottoman velvets. ਀ഊVelvet, or mukhmal, remained an important textile throughout the Middle East throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance and gradually became both more available and more important in Europe. It was almost always woven of silk, and occasionally with linen fibres. Cotton does not seem to have been manufactured into velvet. Many European velvets were half-silk velvets, which means that they had a weft of linen or hemp concealed beneath the silk pile, and consequently were cheaper to manufacture and buy. Only plain, solid cut pile velvet appears to have been manufactured in late 13th century silk weaving centres in Europe and the Middle East. Later developments in weaving technology led to voided velvets (patterns cut into the pile, which was called alto e basso in Italy and Kadife-i du havi in Ottoman Turkey), and the magnificent brocaded velvets incorporating gold and silver thread (known as Çatma in Turkey) so prized by the wealthy classes of Europe. ਀ഊ ਀䈀椀戀氀椀漀最爀愀瀀栀礀ഊ ਀䨀愀渀攀琀 䄀爀渀漀氀搀Ⰰ 开倀愀琀琀攀爀渀猀 漀昀 䘀愀猀栀椀漀渀㨀 琀栀攀 挀甀琀 愀渀搀 挀漀渀猀琀爀甀挀琀椀漀渀 漀昀 挀氀漀琀栀攀猀 昀漀爀 洀攀渀 愀渀搀 眀漀洀攀渀 挀㄀㔀㘀　ⴀ㄀㘀㈀　开Ⰰ 䴀愀挀洀椀氀氀愀渀Ⰰ 䰀漀渀搀漀渀 ㄀㤀㠀㔀ഊ ਀倀愀琀爀椀挀椀愀 䰀 䈀愀欀攀爀Ⰰ 开䤀猀氀愀洀椀挀 吀攀砀琀椀氀攀猀开Ⰰ 䈀爀椀琀椀猀栀 䴀甀猀攀甀洀 倀爀攀猀猀 ㄀㤀㤀㔀ഊ ਀䌀爀漀眀昀漀漀琀Ⰰ 倀爀椀琀挀栀愀爀搀 ☀ 匀琀愀渀椀氀愀渀搀Ⰰ 开吀攀砀琀椀氀攀猀 愀渀搀 䌀氀漀琀栀椀渀最 挀⸀㄀㄀㔀　ⴀ挀⸀㄀㐀㔀　㨀 䴀攀搀椀攀瘀愀氀 昀椀渀搀猀 昀爀漀洀 攀砀挀愀瘀愀琀椀漀渀猀 椀渀 䰀漀渀搀漀渀开Ⰰ 䰀漀渀搀漀渀 䠀䴀匀伀 ㄀㤀㤀㈀ഊ ਀刀椀挀栀愀爀搀 䘀氀攀琀挀栀攀爀Ⰰ 开䴀漀漀爀椀猀栀 匀瀀愀椀渀开Ⰰ 倀栀漀攀渀椀砀 䜀椀愀渀琀 ㄀㤀㤀㐀ഊ ਀䠀猀椀渀ⴀ樀甀 䰀甀椀Ⰰ 开匀椀氀欀 愀渀搀 刀攀氀椀最椀漀渀㨀 䄀渀 攀砀瀀氀漀爀愀琀椀漀渀 漀昀 洀愀琀攀爀椀愀氀 氀椀昀攀 愀渀搀 琀栀攀 琀栀漀甀最栀琀 漀昀 琀栀攀 瀀攀漀瀀氀攀Ⰰ 䄀䐀 㘀　　ⴀ㄀㈀　　开Ⰰ 伀砀昀漀爀搀 唀渀椀瘀攀爀猀椀琀礀 倀爀攀猀猀Ⰰ 䐀攀氀栀椀 ㄀㤀㤀㘀ഊ ਀䨀 䴀 刀漀最攀爀猀 ☀ 刀 䴀 圀愀爀搀Ⰰ 开匀ﰀ氀攀礀洀愀渀 琀栀攀 䴀愀最渀椀昀椀挀攀渀琀开Ⰰ 圀攀氀氀昀氀攀攀琀 倀爀攀猀猀 ㄀㤀㠀㠀ഊ ਀圀 䘀爀椀琀稀 嘀漀氀戀愀挀栀Ⰰ 开䔀愀爀氀礀 䐀攀挀漀爀愀琀椀瘀攀 吀攀砀琀椀氀攀猀开Ⰰ 倀愀甀氀 䠀愀洀氀礀渀 ㄀㤀㘀㤀ഊ ਀开䔀渀挀礀挀氀漀瀀愀攀搀椀愀 䈀爀椀琀愀渀渀椀挀愀 瘀漀氀⸀ ㄀㠀开Ⰰ 䠀攀氀攀渀 䠀攀洀椀渀最眀愀礀 䈀攀渀琀漀渀 ㄀㤀㜀㐀 ഊ ਀ⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀഊCopyright 2000 by Mark Calderwood. . While permission for republication is usually granted, permission to republish this article, in part or in full, requires the explicit permission of the author. ਀ഊIf this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in ਀琀栀攀 瀀甀戀氀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀 琀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 昀漀甀渀搀 琀栀椀猀 愀爀琀椀挀氀攀 椀渀 琀栀攀 䘀氀漀爀椀氀攀最椀甀洀⸀ 䤀 眀漀甀氀搀 愀氀猀漀ഊappreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being ਀爀攀瀀爀椀渀琀攀搀⸀ 吀栀愀渀欀猀⸀ ⴀ匀琀攀昀愀渀⸀ഊ ਀㰀琀栀攀 攀渀搀㸀ഊEdited by Mark S. Harris Hst-of-Velvet-art Page 3 of 3 ਀ഊ