History of silk

The history of silk starts according to the Chinese tradition to the XVII E It continues during three millenia of exclusiveness during which the China exports this invaluable fabric without never transmitting the secrecy of its manufacture. Art to manufacture silk then gradually transmitted to the others Civilization S thanks to the merchants, to the plunderers and spies of all kinds (monks, princesses…). Arrived in Western Europe at the end of the the Middle Ages, the production of Soie arrives at the stage of the Industrialization as from the 19th century. Then, she knows a serious decline related on the fast rise of manufacture in certain countries of Asia and to the epidemics which touch the worms with silk in France. She is finally become again a primarily Asian production.

Myths and legends of the origin

Silk remains so a long time a mystery that many civilizations which discovered it, in particular thanks to the silk routes which traverse the Eurasia, invented many legends in this connection.

The legends Persan be give an account of the appearance of the first couple of worms to silk, hatched on the body of Job, then attacked by vermin.

In addition, the writings of Confucius and the Chinese tradition tell that to the XXVII E a cocoon of silkworm would have fallen into the cup of tea from the empress Leizu. Wanting to extract it from her drink, the fourteen year old young girl would have started to unroll the wire of the cocoon. She would then have had the idea to weave it. Having then observed the life of the Bombyx of the mulberry tree on recommendation of her husband, the Yellow Emperor Huangdi, it would have started to teach with its entourage the art of its breeding, the Sériciculture. Since, the young woman remains in the Chinese Mythologie like Déesse of silk.

Silk would have then left China towards India in hair of a Princesse promised with a prince of Khotan. The latter, refusing to deprive itself of the fabric which she adored, would have enfreint the imperial prohibition of export of worms with silk.

If silk is quickly exported towards foreign countries, sericiculture remains a secrecy carefully preserved by the Chinese. The other people then invent various origins with this marvellous fabric. Thus, later in Antiquity, the Romains, large admirors of fabric, remained persuaded that the Chinese recovered the wire on the sheets of the trees. It is for example what Pline affirmed Old the in its Natural history or Virgile in the Georgiques .

Chinese exclusiveness

Appearance of silk

In fact, it is not possible to precisely date the appearance of fabric in China. Fragments were found in the royal tombs of the dynasty of Shang which reigned of the XVII {{E}} with, but the daily use of silk really seems to take its rise only under the dynasty of Hans, i.e. two centuries before our era.

At that time, China already lost its secrecy since the Koreans, the Japanese, and later the Indians, managed to discover it. Allusions to fabric in the Old Testament show that it was known in the West of Asia at biblical times. The specialists think that as of the IIe front century J. - C., the Chinese had set up a sales network aiming at exporting silk towards the Occident. Paper with bark of mulberry trees would date from second century BC. Silk, the Bamboo, the flax, the Straw of Rice or Blé were employed indifferently. The paper worked out with silk becomes thus the first Papier of luxury. One found in the tomb of a marchioness died towards 168, with Mawangdui (Hunan), of the evidence of the writing on silk as of this time ( to see Ci against ). The material was certainly more expensive, but as more practical as the Bambou. One thus discovered treaties relating to many sciences (Météorologie, Médecine, Astrologie, Divination…) or even of the geographical maps whose support was silk.

During the dynasty of Han, silk becomes gradually a value of luxury for itself and either a simple material. Is used it to pay the civils servant and to reward the citizens particularly deserving. As well as one estimates sometimes the price of the products according to a certain weight in gold, the length of fabric becomes a monetary standard in China. The use of silk becomes so important that “silk” (纟) constituted soon one of principal “the key” of the Alphabet Chinese (230 of the 5000 most frequent characters use it).

The richness which silk brings to China pokes the covetousness of the close people. As from second century BC, the Xiongnu, ancestors of the Huns, plunder regularly, and during approximately two centuries and half, the provinces of the empire of Han. Silk then is often offered by the emperor to these tribes in exchange of the Paix. During more than one millenium, silk remains the principal diplomatic gift of the emperor of China to his neighbors or its vassal.

The Greeks then the Romans start to speak about the Seres (“silky”) starting from the IV E to designate the inhabitants of a remote kingdom, China. According to certain historians, the first contact of the Romans with silk was that of the legions of the governor of Syria, Licinius Crassus. With the Battle of Carrhes, close to the Euphrate, the legionaries were so surprised by the brightness of the banners of the army Parthian which they took the escape

Shortly after the conquest of the Egypt in 30 av. J. - C., sets up a staple trade between the Romans and Asia, marked by the appetite of the Romans for this fabric come from the Far East which is silk that resell the to them Parthian S. This appetite is so important that the Roman Sénat decides, in vain, to prohibit the port of silk, as much for economic reasons that morals. The importation of Chinese silk causes important gold exits towards the foreigner, while silk clothing was perceived like a sign of Décadence and immorality.

I can see silk clothing, so fabrics which do not cover the body, nor even the decency of a man, can be called clothing… Poor wretches flocks of maidservants ridges so that the obviousness of adultery shows through through this fine dress, that her husband does not know better than a foreigner the body of his wife| Sénèque the Young person

During the Great invasions, silk is also propagated with the “cruel” tribes. As example, the king Visigoth Alaric Ier arrives at Rome in 408 and requires approximately 4.000 silk tunics among the tribute of gold and money which makes it possible the town of be saved.

Diffusion of the production

From China towards Italy

Although silk was known in certain areas of Europe and in most of the Asia, China preserves of it quasi the Monopole of the production. This one is defended by an imperial law condemning to dead any person trying to export worms with silk or eggs. Only a Japanese forwarding succeeds towards 300 av. J. - C. to be brought back continent some eggs and four Chinese young people who were to teach with the Japanese women the art of sericiculture. Sericiculture and its techniques are later on more largely introduced in Japan at the time of frequent diplomatic exchanges between the 7th century and the 8th century.

As of fourth century BC silk is diffused towards the Western by the merchants who exchange it against Or, Ivoire, horses or stones invaluable. To the borders of the Roman Empire, silk becomes a monetary standard being used to estimate the values of the various products. The hellenistic Greece appreciates the Chinese productions highly and seeks to establish mulberry trees and worms with silk in the Mediterranean basin. Persia Sassanide control as for it trade of the silk trade towards Europe and Byzance.

It is only in 552 that the Byzantine emperor Justinien receives first eggs of worms with silk which two monks nestoriens would have brought back from Central Asia, hidden in their canes of bamboo. Under their protection, the eggs become worms before they obtain cocoons. The Church of Byzance and the State create imperial factories then aiming at developing an industry of silk in the Roman Empire of the East while following techniques Sassanide S. These “ Gynécée S ” enjoy a monopoly of right on the fabrics, but the empire continues to import silk of other large cities of the the Mediterranean. The size of the Byzantine techniques lies less in the processes employed than in the perfection in the execution and decoration. The techniques of weaving were borrowed from the Egypt. The trade with simple appears to make its appearance, in a still diagrammatic form, at the 5th century.

The Chinese lose their monopoly on the least advanced textiles, but preserve an important advance in the fabric clothes industry of great quality which continues to flow through Asia by the silk routes.

At the same time, Persians control them also the manufacture of silk. Invaded by the Arab S at the 7th century, they transmit their secrecy to them which extends then with the Islam in Africa and on some other banks from the Mediterranean, as in Spain or Sicily, without a very important industry not developing to with it.

Well later, and following the crusades, the technique of production starts to extend through Western Europe. In 1147, while the emperor Manuel Ier Comnène is monopolized by the Second crusade, the Norman king Roger II of Sicily attacks Corinthe and Thèbes, two important Byzantine centers of production of silk, the met with bag and off-sets their workmen with Palermo, giving rise to industry Norman of silk. The catch of Constantinople by the Croisé S in 1204 involves the decline of the imperial city and its manufactures. The importation of Chinese models strongly declining with the loss of the Italian counters in the East, an industry of weaving is organized, in order to satisfy the requirements in luxurious products for the rich person and powerful middle-class. Exceeding in their dash the interior market, the towns of Lucques, Genoa, Venice and Florence export soon towards whole Europe. In 1472, there exists in Florence 84 workshops of silk weaving and at least 7000 trades.

Reciprocal influences

The silk, which made the reputation of the Chinese textile technique was obtained in all the Eurasian area, starting from Lépidoptère S varied, wild or raised. No doubt the Chinese began the first to make silk fabrics insofar as they had best the producing Insecte, the Bombyx Mori .

The Chinese literature quotes a machine to reel silk in 1090. The cocoons were placed in a warm water bath; silk left by small rings guidance and was laid out on a large reel, systematically, thanks to a back and forth pass.

We are badly well informed on the techniques of the spinning mill in China. The wheel, probably mû with the hand, would have been known at the beginning of the Christian era. The first illustrated representation known date of 1210. In the same way, there exists a representation of a spinning machine the silk driven by a wheel Hydraulique going back to 1313.

The weaving looms are better known for us. the album of agriculture and weaving , written towards 1210, provides images and descriptions, especially for silk. The superiority of the weaving looms Chinese was often evoked. One knows two free types of them leaving the arms of the workman: the trade with traction perhaps of Chinese and European origin; the trade with pedals, is allotted to him to the Chinese. One sees of them representations on the manuscripts of the 12th century and 13th century. To examine them closely, they offer similarities with the European trades of the same times. It is known that as of the time Jin, there were damask silk fabrics and that to the II E, trades with four strings and more allowed the realization of Brocart S of silk. It would be necessary to compare Egyptian fabrics, them also of very high-quality, Byzantine fabrics, resulting themselves from the Egyptian techniques, and to propose rigorous chronologies to determine the direction of certain contributions which could be reciprocal. Final, that would make it possible to raise the question seldom raised of the loans of China to the techniques of the western world.

Silk in the medieval world

A more abundant raw material

The top Moyen-âge had continued to practice the ancient techniques of the textile without great changes, neither in the matters employed, nor in the tools used. It seems that, well timidly, between Xe and the 12th century certain changes occurred. The transformations of the 13th century are broader and deeper. New textiles appear rather early: the Cotton and the Hemp, with particular techniques of preparation, silk, imported product.

Known under the Roman Empire, silk remained a rare and expensive textile. The Byzantine Magnanerie S of Greece and Syria (Life - VIIIe century), those of the Arab of Sicily and Spain (VIIIe - Xe century) provided a more abundant raw material.

Technical evolutions

The 13th century already adds to a technique in evolution of the considerable changes, if considerable that one is in right to wonder whether, as in England at the 18th century, textile industry did not play a driving role in the Technological advance. In this context, the work of silk occupied a particular place.

There already exists, at the beginning of the 13th century, a primitive form of the grinding of the silk wire. In 1221, the dictionary of Jean de Garlande, in 1226, the Livre of the trades of Etienne Boileau enumerate several kinds of instruments which must be machines with retordre . It would seem that Bologna, one attends in the passing to more sophisticated instruments (between 1270 and 1280). At the beginning of the 14th century with Lucques, many documents refer to complex apparatuses of use.

The reel , derived from the industry of silk, is done day in multiple forms. The wheel with caneter is spread: its first representation is reproduced on a stained glass of Chartres. The warping frame with teeth replaces the warping frame with the wall, energy of par with the wheel to wind of which representations are reproduced on the stained glass of Chartres and the fresco of Kunkelhaus of Cologne (about 1300). It is possible that this warping frame with teeth also came from the industry of silk: it standardized warping and increased the warped length.

As of the end of the 14th century, undoubtedly because of the great crisis of the middle of this century, one directed oneself towards less expensive techniques, using technical and machines that the former payments generally prohibited (use of wool of lower quality, oiling, carding, wheel, trades with several magpies…). In the field of silk one attended the expansion of the hydraulic spinning mills and the trade known as of Jean the Calabrian, who is done especially at the 15th century.

French production

But the Italian fabrics are extremely expensive, as much because of the raw material that manufacturing costs. The Italian craftsmen proves to be unable to adapt to the new requirements of the French mode, which claims lighter and less expensive fabrics, primarily intended for clothing, so that the production will pass gradually to the hands of their neighbors. However, the Italian silk trade will remain a long time among more the appraisals, in particular for the Ameublement and the Tenture S.

Following the example rich person city-states of Italy (Venice, Florence, Lucques) which became the center invaluable fabric commercial through Europe, the town of Lyon obtains a function similar to the scale of France. In 1466, the king Louis XI decides to develop a national production in Lyon, but, vis-a-vis the protests of the Lyoneses, it moves finally manufacture with Tours. This one remains relatively marginal. The objective was at the time reducing a trade with Italy which caused each year the export from 400.000 to 500.000 ecus of gold. It is under François I {{er}}, towards 1535, which is granted a Charte to two tradesmen, Etienne Turquet and Barthélemy Naris, to develop the silk trade in Lyon. In 1540, the king grants the monopoly of the production of silk to the town of Lyon. As of the 16th century, the city becomes the European capital of silk, in particular producing “worked the” famous ones. Taking insurance, the production of the city little by little will give up the Eastern origins to develop a clean and coloured style putting in particular forward the landscapes. Thousands of workmen, the Silk workers, are devoted to this flourishing Industrie. In the middle of the 17th century, more than 14.000 trades are used in the city and nourish approximately a third of the population

Sericiculture made broad great strides in Provence at the 18th century and the 19th century and will perdura until the First World War. With Come, Country house-of-Jourdans the was one of the communes of the Luberon which drew from them the most benefit thanks to plantations of mulberry trees disappeared today. The domestic industry, the operations of spinning and treatment of silk occupied of many people and offered an auxiliary income to the peasants.

Worms of other countries

The England of Henry IV also tries it to develop an industry of silk but does not reach that point before Louis XIV does not revoke in France the edict of Nantes (1685) and precipitates the emigration of number of tisserands Huguenot S qualified towards England. Certain cities as Spitalfields knew primarily excellent workshops of silk trade different from the continental productions by their colors. However the British climate remained an obstacle with the total rise of this industry.

Several attempts aimed at establishing sericiculture in the American colonies, as of 1619 under the reign of James I of England. However the production never became significant. In the same way, silk is introduced into many countries, and even with the Mexico by the Cortes as of 1522, but manages only seldom to cause the expansion of a flourishing industry.

History of the silk seen by the encyclopedists of the Lights

At the 18th century, whereas the breeding of the silkworm and the manufacture of fabric largely developed in France, the encyclopedists of the Lumières propose an exhaustive article to us on silk. The article “silk” of the Encyclopedia of Diderot and Alembert begin with a short history from silk, before describing all the practices and techniques of them. Centered mainly about the diffusion of fabric in Europe, this text informs us about knowledge, sometimes false, of the time.

Beginning of the article “silk” in the Encyclopedia of Diderot and Alembert

“The old ones hardly knew the uses of silk, nor the manner of working it: they looked at it as the work of a kind of spider or snail, which drew it from its entrails, and twisted it around the small branches of the trees. They called this insect ser of Seres , name of people of Scythie which preserved it: it is die which silk even is called sericum. But the ser has well little resemblance to our bombyx or silkworm; the first saw five years; but the last dies every year, after being wrapped in a hull or swell yellowish, which, made up of small wire attached in round, fact what we call silk.

It is in the island of Cos that art to work silk was initially invented false and incoherent with the remainder of the article, and one gives the honor of it to Pamphile girl of Platis. This discovery was not a long time unknown to the Romans. One brought to them the silk of Sérica Chine which was the place where one found the worms which produce it. But they were so distant to draw advantage from this discovery, which one could not come to end to make them believe only one so beautiful wire was the work of a worm, and which they formed on top thousand chimerical conjectures.

This stubbornness was cause which silk was quite rare goods on their premises during several centuries. One bought it even with the weight gold; so that Vopisque reports that the emperor Aurélien refused with the empress his wife a silk dress that she asked him with much authority, by the reason which she would cost too much. In the continuation, two monks arriving from the Indies to Constantinople into 555, brought with them a great quantity of worms to silk, with the instructions necessary to make hatch eggs, raise and nourish the worms, to draw silk, to spin it and work it from it: after which one establishes for that of the Manufacture S with Athens, with Thèbes and Corinthe.

Approximately the year 1130 Roger king de Sicile establishes a silk manufacture with Palermo and another in Calabria, which was directed by workmen who belonged to the spoils that it had gained of Athens, Corinthe, &c. whose this prince had made the conquest in his forwarding of the Ground-holy . Imperceptibly, Mézeray adds, the remainder of Italy and Spain learned from the Siciliens and the Calabrians the manner of controlling the worms with silk and of working silk: and with long, the French by right of vicinity, started to imitate them a little before the reign of François first.

The great advantages which returned from these new manufactures gave to desire to Jacques I. king d' Angleterre for introducing them into its kingdom: it recommended several times top of its throne, and engaged its subjects, in quite pressing terms, to plant mulberry trees, and for the food of the worms with silk: but unfortunately that does not succeed. However it appears per many experiments that one finds in the philosophical Transactions and elsewhere, as the silkworm benefits and works as well all regards in England, that in any other place of Europe. ”
“Silk”, Encyclopedia or reasoned dictionary of sciences, arts and the trades

Silk since the Industrial revolution

Beginnings of the Industrial revolution

The beginnings of the industrial revolution are marked by the rise of the textile industry which known of remarkable progress, and in particular industry Coton nière in Great Britain. At that time, there exist often distortions between the various stages of manufacture and which pushed with complementary innovations. For example the spinning mill had progressed more quickly than weaving.

The industry of silk does not benefit from large the Innovation S in the spinning, because silk is naturally a wire. The manufacture of money and gold, silk brocarts is an operation long and delicate, each color of the reason must be introduced by its clean shuttle. The 17th century and 18th century, the attempts of simplification and rationalization of manufacture follow one another. For silk the machine with perforated cards of Bouchon and Falcon appears and which was improved by Jacques de Vaucanson in 1775. Later Joseph-Marie Jacquard made the synthesis of the trades of Falcon and Vaucanson: it introduced the mechanical unfolding of the chain of rectangles of paperboard which had imagined, nearly one century before Falcon. Thus starting from 1801 the work of the weaving of the embroidered fabrics becomes mechanized. The mechanism of its machine goes until automating the production of the drawings thanks to perforated cards.

The invention is immediately denounced by the workers who show it to cause the Chômage, but ends up being essential starting from 1806. In 1834, one hopes 2885 weaving looms of this type in the town of Lyon.

However, the high price of the cocoons and the reduction in the importance of silk in the middle-class dress of the 19th century involve the decline of the industry of silk in Europe. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the shortage of the production of silk in France, reduce in Europe the price of the Importation of the silk from Asia, in particular of China and the Japan which starts its Industrialization.

Starting from the Grande depression (1873-1896) the Lyons production is industrialized completely and the trades with arm tend to disappear. Finally at the 19th century determining progress of textile industry will come from chemistry in particular in the field of the dyeing: synthesis of the Aniline for the development of the Mauvéine, the Quinine for the Indigo. In 1884, the count Hilaire de Chardonnet invents artificial silk and built in 1891 a factory dedicated to the production of artificial silk, cheaper, which replaces natural silk partly.

Silk today

Following the crisis in Europe, the modernization of sericiculture in Japan made of this country the principal world producer. The Italy manages to recover from the crisis, which is not the case of France. The countries of Asia, formerly exporting of raw materials (cocoons and raw silk) become gradually producers of end products.

Since the Second world war, manmade fibers as the Nylon still reduced the use of silk in the world, but silk remains for clothing a very snuffed luxury item. With its recent economic opening, the China became the principal world producer about it. In 1996, it produced 58.000 tons (worldwide production reaching 81.000 tons), followed by India (12 384 tons), the Japanese production having become marginal (2 579 tons). Between 1995 and 1997, the Chinese production was reduced of 40% in the objective to make go up the prices, causing threats of shortage since.

The silk world demand during the years 1990 remains timid except for some markets like India and the Great Britain. The image of the product suffered from bottom-of-the-range silk fabrics diffused throughout the world, before improving gradually. For as much, the economy of silk remains largely dependant on some large consumer countries like India and Japan.

Sources and notes

Primary sources

the primary sources are also indicated in notes, accompanied by the secondary sources .

• Catherine Jolivet-Levy and Jean-Pierre Sodini, “ Byzance ”, in Encyclopedia Universalis , 2006
• “ Silk, 4000 years of luxury and pleasure ”, Historia , n°648, December 2000
• Ron Cherry, “ Sericulture ”, Entomological Society off America * “ Silk ”, Encyclopædia Britannica
• “ Silk ”, Encyclopédie Inserted
• Anne Kraatz, Marie Risselin-Steenebrugen, Michele Pirazzoli-t' Serstevens and Madeleine Paul-David, “ Tissus of art ”, in Encyclopedia Universalis , 2006
• Toshiharu Furusawa, “ The history off Sericulture in Japan - The old and innovative technique for Industry- ”, Center for Bioresource Field Science, Kyoto Institute off Technology (pdf)
• “agricultural Trades - Magnaniers”, Institute of higher learning of the agroalimentary one * Bertrand Gille (S direction of), History of the techniques , the Pleiad, 1978

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