Seemingly fragile, textiles can be an enduring link to vanished cultures, as well as a fascinating cross section of the aesthetic sensibilities of far-flung contemporary peoples. Among the five most distinctive collections in the United States, The Field Museum’s holdings of African and Asian textiles contain nineteenth- and twentieth-century pieces from sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, India, Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as 670 archaeological pieces, nearly all from Egypt. Combined with the study of early craft objects like bronzes, glass, and ceramics, these textiles are bringing to light ancient trade routes connecting scattered population centers in Africa and Asia--a new perspective on the supposedly modern phenomenon of global commerce.
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