The historiography of Ottoman velvets, 2011-1572: scholars, craftsmen, consumers

This article seeks to provide an overview of the historiography of a specific type of Ottoman silk velvet upholstery fabric, which was produced in large quantities during the years between 1580 and 1750. These textiles, which belong to the category of ‘industrial’ arts and survive in qualities ranging from high to rather low, have been neglected by scholarship because they do not fit neatly within existing art historical paradigms for this period, most of which emphasize the art of the court. This paper looks from the present state of research back to the late sixteenth century, emphasizing the way in which the people most directly involved with the textiles – the weavers – discussed them, and uses their concerns to suggest a way forward.