Peripheral Emporiums:
Selling Chinese silk textiles
at the auctions of the
Scandinavian East India
Companies
Hanna Hodacs
h.hodacs@warwick.ac.uk
9857 Pieces of Silk textiles
Types
• 4996 Damask pieces
“Meuble” or “Poise”
• 3250 Taffeta pieces
4, 6, or 8 threads
• 1040 Paduasoy pieces
Standard lengths:
• 13.8-14.1 m
• 16.2-16.65 m
• 22.8-23.7 m
Width (when specified)
• 1.25 m
Colours of Silk fabric listed in sales catalogue Gothenburg 1746
Mazarin blå
Mazarin blue (dark blue colour) name
from French cardinal Mazarin.
French synonym “gros bleu” ?
Jonquil (Yellow), Narcissus yellow,
autumn crocus, meadow saffron
Mörckblå
Dark blue
Carmoise
(Karmosin)
Crimson (Red), cherry-red, ruby
Blyfärg
Lead coloured
Sölfwerfärg
Silver coloured
Grön
Green
Paille (halmgul)
Swarta
Black
Light yellow, straw-coloured, oat
coloured
Turqvinblått
Blue – grey? “Turquin marble”
Gohlt
Gold
Coul. de Chair
Meat coloured
Incarnat
Incarnat, vermeil, hue coloured
Blomerant
From French ”bleu mourant” pale blue
(matt), see also Dutch bleumerant and
German blümerant.
Purpur
Purple
Terms for colours
in Sw. Catalogue
Translations and Synonyms or reference
Himmelsblå
Sky blue, Azure blue, Cornflower blue
Jonqville
Skarl.färg
Scarlet-coloured, Red close to orange
probably short for
Skarlakands
Brunt
Brown
Askfärgad
Ash coloured
Ponceau
Red (bright) French for "poppy-colored
Hvita
White
Coul. de Rose
Pink ?(Couleur de rose)
Citrongohlt
Lemon yellow
Liusblå
Light blue
Perlfärg
Pearl – coloured
Olive-gröna
Olive Green
French influence on the nomenclature
•
•
•
•
•
Poneceau
Couleur de Rose
Couleur de Chair
Paille
Blomerant from French
Bleu mourant
• Turqvin blue probably
from Turquin marble
• Mazarin blue, dark blue,
named “in honour of “
Cardinal Mazarin,
Richelieu’s predecessor
Different shades of Silk
• 6 different colours of blue (Sky blue, dark blue,
mazarine blue, light blue, Blue Turqvin, and Blomerant)
• 5 different colours of red including Pink, (Crimson,
Scarlet, Poncea, Coloure de Rose, Colulure the Chair)
• 3 different colours of grey (Ash coloured, Pearl
Coloured, Lead Coloured)
• 3 different shades of yellow, (Jonquil, Lemon Yellow
and Paille)
800
700
600
500
400
Damask
Taffeta
300
Paduasoy
Gorgorone
Satin
200
100
0
Colours of 2145 silk pieces for
sale in Copenhagen 1756
Pand Damast
Carmoisin
Bleumerant
Grühn
Jonqvillr
Rosa
Schwartz
Turkin
Weis
Ponceau
Perle
Paille
Aschgrau
Citron
Hellgrühne
Violet
Brand-Gelb
Braun
Colours
Carmoise
Jonguil
Ponceau”
Brun/Brown
Pärlfärg/perl coloured
Himmelsblå/Sky blue
Askfärg./Ash coloured
Skarlet/Scarlet colour
Turquinblått/Blue Turguin
Blyfärg/Lead coloured
Grön/Green
Mazarine blå/Blue
Hwita/White
Citronfärg./Lemon Yellow
Coul. De Rose/Pink
Swarta/Black
Price (average)
31 pieces of Damask Poisies
in 16 colours (30 lots)
4
3
2
1
1
4
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
55.89
37 pieces/ 6 colours (1 lot)
23
2
3
2
3
4
44.75
Model B
Model A
Bale 1
Bale 2
Model A:
Turn one Bale into several bundles. Allows
for variety of patterns and colours.
Model B:
Bundels from several differenet Bales (one
colour in each), don’t allow for much
variety between Bale 1 and Bale 2
More is More