Damask trickled into Europe from China and the Byzantine and Islamic empires in the early Middle Ages. It was in silk; a cloth no one in Europe had seen before and a weave no one knew how to replicate. This intriguing interplay of warp and weft was developed in China, certainly by the 7th century. Using just one yarn colour, it created pattern by combining two different weave techniques that set areas of plain matt weave against areas woven in glossy sateen. Single-colour damask was, and still is, reversible; the pattern can be seen with matt motifs framed by sateen, or the other way round.
Damask takes it name from the Syrian capital, Damascus, a weaving and trading city, and a convergent point on the Silk Road. These various routes first brought cloth and much else to the Mediterranean from China and countries in between, including ones we know as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. By the 9th century, damask weaving had arrived in Sicily and Spain following Islamic victories there, and it was taken to Italy when weavers from Sicily were brought to the city of Lucca in the 12th century, bringing their knowledge of damask weaving and designs.
この記事は Homes & Antiques の January 2023 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は Homes & Antiques の January 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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Amanda Grant and Kristian Dean's compact apartment encapsulates the essence of continental country house style
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Jill De Búrca's home was once a buy-to-let. Now that she's finally moved in, she has begun to furnish it with a quirky combination of antiques, vintage pieces and high street finds
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Statement antiques create drama in this one-bedroom former school hall, owned by antiques dealer Jean Hill
HEIRLOOMS OF THE FUTURE - FLORA JAMIESON
The stained glass artist talks to Dominique Corlett about the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement and capturing the English countryside at its best
Armillary sphere
The roots of the armillary sphere go back centuries but the design has retained its appeal, and sculptor David Harber creates some of today's most spectacular examples, says Jenny Oldaker
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TRAVEL
48 hours in Stockholm and the best heritage railways.
A PERSONAL PASSION
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