Silk Roads, Sea Routes and Shared Heritage

Catalog description

This course will explore the dynamics of artistic production along the exchange routes often referred to as the Silk Roads and related Sea Routes, stretching from China to the Mediterranean, and beyond. Through the examination of key case studies, this course will investigate exchanges ranging from the 1st to the 18th century within Asia and Europe, as well as the Americas. A special focus will be on the role of artists, traders and travelers in the Islamic world as dynamic innovators and active intermediaries within these exchanges. We will discuss the transmission of new technologies along these routes, and witness the resulting shifts in artistic production in areas such as painting, papermaking, weaving and ceramics. We will make use of textual, archaeological, and art historical sources from across this vast region to illuminate the effects of these long histories of contact.