Phoenixes, Textiles, and Religious Paintings
Migration of an Oriental Motif into the Late Medieval Catholic Culture
Will be published approx. on 15. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
978-90-04-74096-9 (ISBN)
Description
Imagine a Chinese phoenix shimmering on a 14th-century silk chasuble or a 15th-century Italian painting. How did this exotic motif travel so far? This book traces the journey of fenghuang-themed silks along the Silk Road, their encounter with the Christian phoenix, and their use in Catholic liturgical vestments and depiction in religious painting. You discover how luxury textiles shaped sacred imagery and how a single motif was reinterpreted across cultures. Featuring images of rarely shown religious paintings and textiles, this study opens a vivid window onto cultural-religious exchange, artistic adaptation, and the dynamics of the medieval luxury market, offering fresh insights into East-West dialogue.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
ISBN-13
978-90-04-74096-9 (9789004740969)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Kunhang Li Ph.D. (2026), Donghua University. Her research specializes in the cultural exchange of textiles along the medieval Silk Road and the study of textile iconography. She has authored several academic articles on 14th-century animal-themed textile patterns.
Wim Francois, Ph.D. and STD (2004), is Professor of Church and Theology and Academic Librarian of the Maurits Sabbe Library, at KU Leuven. He has published extensively on the Bible and theology, as well as on material culture in late medieval and early modern Catholicism.
Wim Francois, Ph.D. and STD (2004), is Professor of Church and Theology and Academic Librarian of the Maurits Sabbe Library, at KU Leuven. He has published extensively on the Bible and theology, as well as on material culture in late medieval and early modern Catholicism.