Tissus Lyonnais: The Historic Silk Industry of Lyon and Sacred Vestments

Typically when we think of the silk trade, one naturally thinks of the famed "silk road" which led from the Orient to the western world, with a particular focus on the port of Venice, which of course became renowned for the quality and variety of its silk textile industry. More broadly we might think of others places in Italy in this regard, such as Lucca, but if we are truly going to think comprehensively about the silk industry and the impact it had on the liturgical arts as it relates to liturgical textiles, we cannot fail to also consider the primatial French city of Lyon.

The silk trade in Lyon began in the later fifteenth century, established by the French king, Louis XI and due to the demand for high end silks by the French aristocracy of this period, Lyon would not only act as a supplier of silks produced in the Orient and Italy, it would also go on to become one of the premiere producers of silk textiles not only within Europe but within the entire world, with an estimated 10,000 silk looms being in operation there already by the 1600's. 

So what did these silks look like? Well, as one can expect, they would have had quite a range, following the tastes of the particular times, ranging from very bold and colourful floral patterns to others which were extremely subtle, frequently featuring beautiful metallics.  

The following vestments, mainly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, give a selection of this latter palette, all made in Lyon.

19th century


ca. 1775

1769

1760-1770

19th century

19th century

19th century

18th century

18th century

18th century

18th century

18th century

18th century

1769

1750-1760

1750-1775

18th century

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