Economic and Social Aspects of the Trade of Luxury Goods between Africa and Europe: Ostrich Feather
- Helmut Rizzolli
- Federico Pigozzo
- © 2019 Author(s) |
- CC BY 4.0
- DOI: 10.36253/978-88-6453-857-0.26
In Europe, in the Middle Ages, ostrich feathers were used for the decoration of military headgear, as a representation of the high lineage of the possessor and his military virtues. They were imported from the coasts of West Africa, from Egypt and Syria into Italian and Spanish ports and from there exported to England and continental Europe. Venice, at the end of the fourteenth century, began to color feathers and soon the new fashion was spread throughout Europe. During the fifteenth century, even women began to use ostrich feathers on their hats or in their fans. When European ships reached America, Central Africa and the islands of the Indian Ocean, a huge amount of exotic bird feathers became available and ostrich feather fad spread through the population.
- Keywords:
- economic history,
- international trade,
- ostrich feathers,
- africa,
- europe,
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Deputazione di Storia Patria per le Venezie, Italy
Chapter Information
Chapter Title
Economic and Social Aspects of the Trade of Luxury Goods between Africa and Europe: Ostrich Feather
Authors
Helmut Rizzolli, Federico Pigozzo
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/978-88-6453-857-0.26
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2019
Copyright Information
© 2019 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Bibliographic Information
Book Title
Reti marittime come fattori dell’integrazione europea / Maritime Networks as a Factor in European Integration
Editors
Giampiero Nigro
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
592
Publication Year
2019
Copyright Information
© 2019 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/978-88-6453-856-3
ISBN Print
978-88-6453-856-3
eISBN (pdf)
978-88-6453-857-0
eISBN (xml)
978-88-9273-037-3
Series Title
Atti delle «Settimane di Studi» e altri Convegni
Series ISSN
2704-6354
Series E-ISSN
2704-5668