Paper short abstract:

The impact of Asian textiles in the Portuguese manufactures, in the consumption standards, and in the shifts of taste will be explored. It will focus in the research of textile trade and develop an updated state of the art on the volume and type of traded goods between Asia and Portugal.

Paper long abstract:

Despite the increasing interest that textiles have recently aroused,

studies on the Portuguese global expansion and Asian trade have not

yet developed an autonomous analysis of these goods. Economic

historians have not performed any better, although the importance of

textiles in the intra- and trans-continental system of transactions of

the 'Carreira da India' between Goa and Lisbon is well documented both

by written testimonies and the remaining material goods.

It is therefore essential to investigate the quantity and typology of

the negotiated load, commercial rules, and the amount of income and

losses obtained in this commerce. Nevertheless, it is also important

to understand the meaning of this trade in a broader context, and,

especially, to assess the impact of Asian textiles on the cultural and

artistic level.

This paper explores the impact of textile trade in the Portuguese

manufactures, in the consumption standards, and in the shifts of Asian

and Portuguese (European) taste. It will focus on the specific

problems involved in the investigation of textile trade and develop an

updated state of the art on the volume and type of traded goods

between Asia and Portugal in the early modern period. This approach

aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Portuguese role on

early globalization, and to throw light on Portugal's contribution in

the acquisition and distribution of Asian textile commodities across

Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries before England and Holland

set up large trading companies.