Economic and Social Value of Textiles in Siena (1250-1330)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/1593-2214/9995Keywords:
Middle Ages, 13th-14th Centuries, Siena, Economy, Clothing, Sumptuary Laws, ValueAbstract
This paper examines the relations between the economic and social value of clothes in Siena between the second half of the 13th and the first of the 14th century through the analysis of fabrics, especially wool, and silk. The analysis starts from the study of sumptuary legislation and its evolution by comparing the economic value of fabrics hitherto purchased only by the élite, with the purchase of these fabrics by the less wealthy. This method allows us to demonstrate how some fabrics considered as luxurious, such as silk, were cheaper than others. This issue was deeply felt in Siena due to economic-productive dynamics. For this reason, public legislation was more concerned with regulating the materiality of the fabrics used rather than the shape of clothing/ shape of clothes.
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