Program: The Silk Roads: paving the way to beauty with networks of luxury and influence

Presenter: Soma Roy, Founder of the Nourishment program, IWA Member

Linking the Pacific to the Mediterranean, the legendary Silk Roads have, through the millennia, connected empires seeking the highest levels of luxury.  These trade routes have thus had a seismic influence on history.  Recognized as the epitome of decadence, silk - that most exotic and erotic of textiles - brought first-century Rome into contact with new worlds and new tastes.  Objects fostered in beauty more than 2000 years ago continue to entrance. Lavishly illustrated, this series journeys through gorgeous wares which link our global heritage. Discover how the renowned tulips of Holland have origins farther east than Turkey and how the fall of the Byzantine empire contributed to the success of cloisonné in China.