Cultivating Silkworms, Silk Making in Europe, 16th Century

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Women keeping silkworms on shelves and, at center, women examining them; in the background, sheets hang out to dry; to right, silkworms arranged on long branches propped up vertically against a wall. The production of silk originates in China in prehistoric times. Silk remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at some point during the later half of the first millennium BC. The Crusades brought silk production to Western Europe, in particular to many Italian states, which saw an economic boom exporting silk to the rest of Europe. Changes in manufacturing techniques also began to take place during the Middle Ages, with devices such as the spinning wheel first appearing. Taken from Vermis serivs, The history of the silkworm and silk-spinning, engraving by Karel van Mallery, circa 1590-1600.

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Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 16th, century, cocoon, cultivate, cultivating, cultivation, drawing, eggs, engraving, farming, growing, historic, historical, history, illustration, making, manufacture, manufacturing, production, sericulture, silk, silk-making, silkmaking, silkworm, silkworms, sixteenth, textile, woman, women