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Ming Brocade Weaving

Type Object Region China Time 1300

Ming brocade was a figured silk-weaving craft centered on official and private workshops in Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, represented by Yunjin and …

Timeline

  1. 1300–1368Jiangnan silk-weaving region · JiangnanAt the Yuan-Ming transition, Jiangnan inherited the Song brocade tradition, with figured looms and pattern lineages gradually taking shape, laying the technical and regional foundations for the Ming official brocade system.
  2. 1551–1560Jiangning Weaving Bureau · JiangningDuring the Jiajing reign, the Jiangning and inner court weaving systems operated at full maturity; tribute satin, zhuanghua satin, and other varieties were standardized, serving court ceremonial gifts and flowing to Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia through tributary and smuggling trade.
  3. 1570–1644Weaving workshops of Suzhou and Hangzhou · JiangnanIn the late Ming, private weaving workshops rose, patterns grew increasingly elaborate and ornate, brocade became linked to the overseas silver economy, and the craft influenced East Asian silk-weaving aesthetics through the movement of artisans.

Sources