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Saturday University: Silk and Fashion in Tang China
January 11, 2019 @ 2:00 am - 3:30 am PST
$11
Seattle Art Museum – DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Silk and the Logics of Cosmopolitan Empire in Tang China
BuYun Chen, Swarthmore College
Commonly regarded as the golden age of Chinese history, the Tang dynasty was marked by impressive economic growth, political innovations, the flourishing of art and literature, and increased contact with the outside world. From the sixth to eighth century, trade along the Silk Road and Tang imperial expansion into Central Asia filtered new goods, technology, and people into the frontier towns and interior cities of the empire. The dynamism of this trade yielded a profound impact on the production of luxury goods—especially, silk textiles—by introducing Tang artisans to a new stock of patterns, colors, and techniques. This talk will explore the critical role that these artisans and weavers played in the making of a cosmopolitan empire.
About the PresenterBuYun Chen, Assistant Professor of History at Swarthmore College, specializes in the history of textile production, fashion, and craft technology in premodern China. Her book, Empire of Style: Silk and Fashion in Tang China was published in 2019. Her current research explores how the circulation of raw materials, finished goods, and technical knowledge between China, Japan, and Southeast Asia shaped local craft practices.
About the Presenter Hungarian art historian Zsuzsanna Gulasci is Professor at Northern Arizona University. Her work on religions and arts of the Silk Roads includes Manichaean, Eastern Christian, Islamic, Zoroastrian, and Buddhist art. One project is to compare missionary religions with non-missionary religions that coexisted along the Silk Roads in terms of their teaching from art. Her research has been supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Getty Residential Scholar grant, and many other sources.
Please note: South Hall doors open at 9:30 am
OTHER LECTURES IN THIS SERIES
NOV 2
Authenticity and the Reproduction of Buddhist Art and Artifacts in Medieval China
DEC 7
Zoroastrian and Manichean Arts of the Silk Roads
JAN 11
Silk and the Logics of Cosmopolitan Empire in Tang China
JAN 18
The 21st Century Silk Road: China’s Belt and Road Initiativ
