When Weaving Flourished: the Silk Industry in Amsterdam & Haarlem 1585-1750

In the time of the Dutch Republic, the towns of Amsterdam and Haarlem were the centre of a flourishing silk industry. This little known area of the Dutch textile industry has now been thoroughly studied for the first time. The book not only paints a fascinating picture of the organization of the silk weavers' workshops, the looms and the fabrics woven on them, it also offers us a glimpse into the lives of those involved: the weavers, the designers of the patterns, and the manufacturers or fabrikeurs who employed them. One of the important results of the present research for the history of textiles is the definitive identification of a group of silk fabrics with chinoiserie designs as woven in Amsterdam. Dr. Sjoukje Colenbrander is an independent textile historian and leading authority on the Dutch silk industry. In 2009 she was the first to receive the Dave Aronson-Prize for her research into the silk industry in Amsterdam and Haarlem during the 17th and 18th centuries. This book is published by Aronson Publishers and distributed by Primavera Press.