Imagining Cathay: 18th- and Early 19th-Century
For Europeans during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, China—or Cathay as it was sometimes called—was a magical place. This exhibition includes nine Chinoiserie textiles and embroideries from the Museum’s outstanding collection.
The Far East had intrigued Europeans for centuries. Starting with Marco Polo’s published adventures during the late thirteenth century, the Western imagination had been fueled by both travelers’ accounts and Asian imports. The Orient was a source for luxury goods from the earliest days, beginning with precious silks and later fine porcelains and lacquer-work among other goods. The East India trading companies founded during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ensured that Asian goods, including textiles, continued to reach Europe in increasing quantities.
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