The Agency Of Textiles As Cultural Intermediaries In The Intercultural Exchange System Of The Fourteenth Century, With Emphasis On Iranian And Italian Fabrics

Abstract

The change in global exchanges after the Mongol conquests and the intensification of political, economic, and cultural relations transformed textiles into global artifacts and a factor in cultural dynamics in this regard, textiles, as Visual Activist, are considered a material platform for intercultural exchanges. The present study analyses the position of textiles in the system of intercultural exchanges in the fourteenth century, using a historical approach and from this perspective, it examines textiles as cultural mediators in the configuration of international relations.

The aim of this research is to examine the position of textiles in global exchanges of textile designs and motifs, with an emphasis on Iranian and Italian fabrics in the 14th century, in order to answer the questions of what designs and motifs were shared between Iran and Italy through textile exchange during the period under study? what impact have these exchanges had on textile design styles internationally?

The studied samples were selected based on visual and structural similarities, including the use of common motifs, patterns, and designs from Iranian and Italian textiles in the 14th centuries. The sampling was non-random and purposeful, and the samples were selected from textiles preserved in prestigious textile museums and collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Cooper Hewitt Collection of the Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.

The results of the study show that global textile exchanges during the studied period provided the basis for intercultural exchanges of motifs and the creation of a common transcultural set of motifs and designs across a wide geographical area from Central Asia to Italy. Intercultural exchanges of visual vocabulary led to the formation of a global visual taste, a common visual language, the emergence of international styles, and ultimately the production of cosmopolitan textiles. This international style, which was a combination of Islamic, Chinese, and Italian decorative elements, includes a variety of designs. The most important motifs exchanged and shared in global textiles within the framework of this international style included animal and zoomorphic motifs such as phoenixes and birds similar to pheasants, strange and fantastic composite animals, and plant motifs including lotus flowers, grape leaves, and the twisting stems of plants such as vines. One of the important features of this style is the dynamic and vibrant combination of animal and plant motifs, which is considered one of the unique characteristics of the international style of the 14th century.