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The Art of Sericulture – Silk in Italy
by Deborah Swift
Many thanks to Helen for hosting me! (My pleasure!)
In my new novel The Silkworm Keeper, my main character Giulia Tofana is tasked with breeding silkworms for their thread. The thread comes from the cocoons of the Silk Moth Bombyx Mori.
The breeding of silkworms began in ancient China as far back as the Neolithic period, and until the Silk Route opened up in the 1st millennium BC, China was the only place producing silk.
There’s a lovely myth about the first time silk was extracted from a cocoon -- the writings of Confucius tell us that a silk worm's cocoon fell into the teacup of the fourteen year old Empress Leizu. When she tried to pull it from her drink, the young girl began to unroll the thread of the cocoon. Afterwards, she decided to experiment by weaving some of the fibres. Seeing the strength of the resultant thread, she and her husband the Yellow Emperor began the art of raising silkworms. Leizu is now known as the goddess of silk in Chinese mythology.
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| Silkworm Farm in 17th Century (Met Museum) |
The expansion of trade from China brought the production of silk to Europe at the time of the Crusades, and because of climate conditions and the presence of many mulberry trees, the art of sericulture really took off in Italy and Sicily. (At that time Italy was a collection of states, not unified as it is today). The Italians then began exporting silk to the rest of Europe, starting an industry of silk and textiles that continued right through to the 19th century.
The process of breeding the silkworms is complex and labour-intensive, involving the collection of fresh mulberry leaves daily. Silkworms don’t drink but absorb moisture from the leaves of the mulberry, so the leaves have to be really fresh for the silkworms to thrive. Many, many silkworms are needed for each ounce of thread, and unwinding the silk from the cocoons is a delicate process. Various winding devices were invented to help with the un-spooling of the thread. In early times this art was particularly prevalent in convents as it was thought an appropriate task for women, and a good way of boosting the convent’s income.
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| Portrait by Pollaiuolo of Young Woman |
Improvements in the manufacture of silk, in terms of spinning machines and weaving looms led to silk’s increased popularity in the Middle Ages, but the height of its popularity was in the 15th – 17th Centuries. During the Renaissance, woven silk velvets were worn by noble families to denote their wealth and power. See the stunning example in the portrait above. Regulations were in place to ensure quality, and the movements of skilled weavers were sometimes restricted to prevent the loss of their technical secrets going to other rival cities.
The Industrial Revolution spelled the death knell for most of Europe's silk industry. Cotton production took over from silk as it was much cheaper and less labour intensive to make. However there is still silk made in Italy, and the beautiful designs of silk made in the Renaissance are hard to forget. Read more about Renaissance Italian Velvet here via the Met Museum. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/velv/hd_velv.html
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| Italian Velvet Design from Met Museum |
The Silkworm Keeper starts in a convent at Reggio Calabria, which was an area well-known for silkworm breeding, and is based on the life of Giulia Tofana. It is a sequel to The Poison Keeper, though the story stands alone.
The Poison Keeper is out now, and The Silkworm Keeper will be published on June 29th. Both can be read on Kindle Unlimited.
About Deborah
Deborah Swift is the author of 14 historical novels to date. Find her at her website www.deborahswift.com or on Twitter @swiftstory.
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| The first in a new series of quick-read, cosy mysteries set in the 1970s. A Mirror Murder https://getbook.at/MirrorMurder |
Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple.
But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered...
Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will a blossoming romance survive a police investigation into murder?
Reviews
“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London.” Richard Ashen (South Chingford Community Library)
“Lots of nostalgic, well-researched, detail about life in the 1970s, which readers of a certain age will lap up; plus some wonderful, and occasionally hilarious, ‘behind the counter’ scenes of working in a public library, which any previous or present-day library assistant will recognise!” Reader Review
Really interesting post Deborah. I very much enjoyed The Poison Keeper and can't wait to read the next instalment!
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