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History of Silk
 

​The cultivation of silk has taken place for more than 3,500 years, originating in China. The Chinese were highly protective of their secret to making silk but eventually the Japanese discovered their secret about A.D. 300. They managed to obtain silkworm eggs and silk production became widespread moving to India around A.D. 400, by the eighth century Spain began producing silk, and 400 years later so did Italy. China gradually re-captured her position as the world's biggest producer and exporter of silk. Around 125,000 metric tons of silk is produced in the world today and China has two thirds of this market.

 

Silk Painting is an art form that involves applying coloured dyes to silk fabric. As silk became a highly coveted trading commodity, this art form gradually spread across Asia, making its way to Europe. Family members of the Russian Tzar, Nicholas II brought a form of early gutta resist to France where the Serti Technique (enclosing the dyes within a barrier) was introduced in the 20th Century. By the 1970s silk painting had gained popularity in Britain and America and is now practiced all around the world. Today silk painting is still a specialised art form, producing beautiful designs with the use of modern dyes and production equipment.

2010 - present
2010 - present
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