IPEK, Imperial Ottoman Silks & Velvets

Status symbols, diplomatic gifts, artistic mediums and economic treasures--figured silk fabrics were among the most powerful and most characteristic artistic products of the Ottoman Empire. Wars were fought for control of silk revenues, and governments devoted major bureaucratic efforts toward the organization, regulation and taxation of silk production. "Ipek: The Crescent & the Rose" is the most comprehensive and magnificently illustrated overview of Ottoman silk textiles of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its lavish, full-bleed, six-color reproductions of fabrics from the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, and from lesser-known ecclesiastical treasuries in the Balkans, Sweden, Poland and Russia, demonstrate the creativity of Ottoman weavers in rich detail, and will appeal to anyone with an interest in design or a general appreciation for visual delights. Accompanied by scholarly essays that shed light on the different historical, legislative, economic and technological factors that determined the history of these textiles.