«Maritime» Chinoiserie: West European Lace of the 18th Century on the «Discovery» оf China

The problem of the lack of research on Western European lace from the second half of the 17th to the 18th centuries examined in the context of research into the decorative and aesthetic concept of chinoiserie, which was new and relevant to this historical period. The emphasis in the research placed on one of the pseudo-Chinese subjects – the “discovery” of China by European navigators. It is noted that the economic success of the East India Companies and the rapid development of international maritime trade were stimulating factors for the appearance and development of chinoiserie in general (and chinoiserie-style lace in particular). In addition to the paintings of marine artists from three interconnected and mutually influential cultures of the northwestern coast of the North Sea (Flanders, Holland, and France), the main research materials were authentic material sources – samples of Flemish, Dutch, and French lace from the period under consideration. They are the first investigated in this context. The methodological basis of the research is an interdisciplinary synthesis, which allows complementing cultural studies methods with art history methods. This approach made it possible to identify and characterize the iconographic and stylistic features of unique items of Western European lace from the second half of the 17th–18th centuries, made in the chinoiserie style. The results of the research allow these items to be included among the most relevant and sought-after sources on both the history of Western European artistic culture in the second half of the 17th and 18th centuries and the history of decorative and applied art during this period.