Premodern Textiles in Europe

This course investigates textile as a medium in the premodern period. The first half of the course is devoted to materials and techniques. All phases of textile production from the cultivation and exchange of raw materials to the spinning and use of threads in weaving and embroidery will be studied. Special attention will be paid to the communities and networks that grew up around textile making and trade. The latter half of the course is given over to examination of specific case studies. Objects to be looked at in detail will vary from year to year but are likely to include the Bayeux 'tapestry' (actually an embroidered work), the so-called Star Mantle of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the Veil of Veronica (or Sudarium). We will also consider different contexts of production; 'professional' embroiderers in commercial centres like London, nuns working in convents, laywomen rich and poor. There is a significant experiential component to the course. Some classes will convene in local studios and museums. Students will have a chance to observe present-day makers and to try their hands at tablet weaving and embroidery. Working with curators and conservators, they will consider the particular challenges of studying, preserving and displaying textile objects; and learn to identify materials and techniques in historic examples.   Credit level: 11 Year taken: Postgraduate SCQF credits: 20