Problem:
Take a look back through our semester, and find either a textile or a reference in art to textiles. How were those textiles used? We have been focusing on painting, sculpture, and architecture, but we should not forget other art forms that pervade people's lives. Textiles are harder to study because of their perishable nature; they do not preserve as well as stone or metal. However, they were probably far more ubiquitous in the lives of ancient and medieval peoples. How were textiles used, experienced, understood? What different kinds of textiles were seen and used in the ancient and medieval world? How were they made? How did they influence other forms of art?