Colours in abundance and
bundles - the sale of
Chinese silk textiles at the
auctions of the
Scandinavian East India
Companies
Hanna Hodacs
h.hodacs@warwick.ac.uk
Europe's Asian Centuries
Trading Eurasia 1600-1830
Global History and Culture Centre
Department of History - University of Warwick
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/ghcc/eac/
• Asian Goods in the Political
Economy of Europe
Bringing global
perspectives and
interdisciplinary
methods to bear on
histories of
industrialization,
consumer society
and material culture
Professor Maxine Berg
Project Director
• Asian Goods and European
Consumer Cultures
Investigating the
long distance
trade between
Asia and Europe
in material goods
and culture that
transformed the
early modern
world.
• Asian Goods: Making and
Distributing
• Asian Goods and the
Transmission of Knowledge
• Asian Export Ware and
Industrial Revolution
Dr Helen Clifford
Museum Consultant
Dr Hanna Hodacs
Research Fellow
Ms Meike Fellinger
PhD Student
Dr Chris Nierstrasz
Research Fellow
Mrs Anna Boneham
Project Administrator
Dr Felicia Gottman
Research Fellow
Why focus on colour on silk material?
• Colour and philosophy, natural history,
manufacturing, and consumption
• Colour, trends and change over time
The Danish East India Company
Dansk Østindisk
Kompagni
1616-1650
Dansk Østindisk
Kompagni
1670-1729
Asiatisk Kompagni
1730-1772 (1st charter)
Asiatisk Kompagni
1772-1807 (2nd charter)
1618-24: 11 ships
1629-1639: 7 ships
1639-1668: 0 ships
45 ships (?)
98 ships
61 AK ships to China
63 AK ships to India
121 Private ships India (85 “true
return expeditions”, 31 “direct
expeditions”, 5 Royal East India
Packet Service)
48 ships from Java
49 ships from Mauritius
4 ships from Manilla/1 from Penang
The Swedish East India Company
First Charter
1731-1746
Second Charter
1746-1766
Third Charter
1766-1786
Fourth Charter
1786-1806
3 ships to India
19 ships to China
3 ships to India (Surat)
20 ships to China
39 ships to China
33 ships to China
See Hand out page 1 and 2
Ardoise
Brunt
Asch
Caneel
Ash
Caneelbrun
Ash lead
Different
Brown
Hell Blau
Ljusgrön
Pearl
Sjögrön
Hell Braun
Ljustblå
Perle
Sea green
Different
Greens
Hell Grün
Mandarin Grün
Perlfärg
Skarl.färg
Carmoise
Dunckel Blau
Himmel Blau
May Grün
Ponceau
Skyblew
Ash Light
Carmoisin
Dunckel Braun
Himmelsblå
Mazarin
Ponso
Soharl
Askfärgad
Celadon
Dunckel Grau
Hwita
Mazarin Blau
Prun
Sölfwerfärg,
Aurora
Cherry
Dunckel Grün
Incarnat
Mazarinblå
Purple
Strå
Blå
Chocolate
Dunckel Perl
Jonquille
Middleblew
Purpur
Straw
Black
Citron
Gelb
Junquille
Milch
Röd
Swafwelfärg
Blau
Citrongohlt
Gohlt
Kirschen
Millanblå
Rose
Swarta
Bleum Hanoes
Coffébrun
Körsbär
Mörckblå
Rosen
Turquin
Bleumourant
Coul. de Chair
Licht Blau
Mörckbrun
Rosenröda
Turquin Blau
Blomerant
Coul. De Rose
Licht Grün
Mörkgrått
Roth
Turqvinblått
Blyfärg
Crimson
Licht Rosen
Mörkgrön
Scarlet
Violet
Brandgul
Dark Green
Light Green
Muscus
Scharlaken
Violet
Braun
Deep Ash
Linsgrönt
Olive-gröna
Schwartz
Weiss
Braun Diverse
Deep blew
Liustblå
Orange
Silber
White
Brown
Different Ash
Ljusbrunt
Paille
Silfwer
Yellow
Golden
Grådt
Gras Grün
Gräsgrön
Grau
Green
Gröna
Grün
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
Colours of Silk fabric listed in sales catalogue Gothenburg 1748
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
Swart/Black
Price (average) per piece
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
Change over time (page 3 and 4 of hand out) of
Black and Crimson coloured silk on sale at
Swedish East India Company’s Auctions 1733 to 1751
30
25
20
%
Crimson
15
Black
10
5
0
1733
1736
1742
1743
1745
1747
1748
1749
1751
Johan Peter Westring,
Svenska lafvarnas färghistoria,
(The Colour history of Swedish Lichen)
1805
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