The Inventory is not only a catalogue of magnificence but also a key text for evaluating the successes and failures of the Tudor monarchy. Henry VIII had extravagant ideas of image and authority and loved his possessions, amongst which where over 2,000 pieces of tapestry, 2,028 items of gold and silver plate and 41 growns. Although he left the country with heavy debts and an empty exchequer, he was far from bankrupting the monarchy as some scholars have suggested. Indeed the Inventory allows us to calculate that at the time of his death the contents of his palaces and wardrobes were worth about oe300,000 and the military and naval stores a further oe300,000. Most of what the King owned has unfortunately since disappeared. Yet the Inventory tells us what once existed, enables us to identify surviving objects and also helps once belonged to hem. The transcription of the inventory is accompanied by a historical introduction, a glossary of technical terms, and an exhaustive Index which is a major tool of scholarship in its own right.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Sept. 16, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014.

This book presents one hundred of the finest textiles and fashion arts produced by weavers, embroiderers, and designers around the globe. Twenty-nine short essays introduce some of the major techniques and genres that textile makers have invented over the past twenty-five hundred years of human history.--[book cover].

"Recognizing conservation as a dynamic social force, the eighty-one readings in this volume draw attention to the cultural significance of textiles and dress, illustrating the intellectual foundations as well as important changes in conservation practice." -- Back cover.

Rich color illustrations and a scholarly text characterize this catalogue of a landmark exhibition of Mughal carpets held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 1997-March 1998. Though exquisite, Indian carpets are little known even to carpet experts. This volume (and the exhibition) focus on the 16th to the 18th century, a peak period for stunning works. The text surveys the era in terms of history, the role of commerce, technical characteristics, and the carpets themselves, which exemplify the broad range of imperial and provincial production during the "classical" period of Indian carpet weaving. Carpets are organized by style and pattern and include a group from Kyoto. Three appendices analyze animal fibers and dyes. Oversize (9.50x12.25"). Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR