Textiles Gallery - The Ashmolean Museum

The ultimate fragility of textiles
sometimes lets us forget that initially
they are far more durable than ceramics
and glass, and are of course more
portable than either. Fabrics have
historically been among the most
important manufactured goods to move
between cultures. Chinese silks had a
profound effect on the arts of Persia
and Byzantium, and finely printed and
dyed Indian cotton textiles were in
demand in East and West alike, so much
so that they became the most widely
accepted currency of exchange in the
medieval and early-modern maritime
spice trade.
The proposed new gallery explores
these cross-cultural connections; the
Ashmolean’s collections are especially
suited for this interpretation. The
display will focus on the purpose of
textiles as dress, furnishings, and
ceremonial displays. They have been
and remain markers of social identity
and status. In medieval times they were
one of the major industries, generating
substantial wealth: a skilled weaver in
15th-century Florence was often paid
more than a painter. The gallery will
also facilitate the use of the
collections for teaching and
research, as well as for the
education of school
groups, with the
processes involved in
the textiles’ manufacture
explored alongside their
aesthetic and cultural meanings.
Gold and silver
embroidered coat
with ikat lining,
Kashgar, pre-1869.
Shaw Collection
Rag doll from the
burial of a child in
the Roman cemetery
at Hawara, Egypt,
4th century AD
With these collections of both visual
splendour and historical importance,
the Ashmolean’s redevelopment
presents the perfect opportunity to
reveal the history of textiles from across
the world to a wider public.
Please contact Edith Prak, Development
Director, on 01865 288196 or email
edith.prak@ashmus.ox.ac.uk for further
information.
Ashmolean
The
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