Situated five miles off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, the Greek Island of Chios produced some of the finest silk weavings in the Mediterranean for nearly 400 years. The island was controlled by the Republic of Genoa from 1346 to 1566, and it was Genoese weavers who established the silk industry there in the late 15th century.
The industry flourished, with Chios weavers soon competing successfully against the powerhouse silk industries of India and Iran. Chios silks were sold widely, thanks to the island’s strategic location with trade routes to Genoa, Lwow (Poland), Wallachia (Romania) and Cairo, as well as Istanbul, Thessaloniki and Izmir. To meet demand, raw silk was produced on the island and woven in every home.
Chios silks were especially popular among the Ottomans. Even before conquering the island in 1566, the Ottoman sultan favored silks from Chios and bestowed them as gifts. Nearly two centuries later, the palace brought masters from Chios to manage his new royal silk workshop in Istanbul.
This textile from the 17th century is a testament to the virtuosity of silk weaving that made Chios so famous. It was likely used as a curtain in a religious building, where its slim columns and ornate niche would have created the illusion of a columned courtyard.
The design – an arcade of hanging lanterns on a crowded floral background – is typical of the period. The floral imagery blends Ottoman and Italian artistic styles. Tulips and lilies, depicted in vases at the bottom of each niche, represent Ottoman tradition. The roses are Italian: There are bouquets in the spandrels at the top of the curtain and rose bushes in the wide end borders.