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Shepherdesses, pagodas and ruined temples printed in a single colour: the story of toile de Jouy, from the indiennes and the 1686 ban to Oberkampf, and how to use it at home today.

The word mezzaro has a long and fascinating history spanning centuries, languages and cultures. Exploring its origins means tracing the history of a garment that was a key part of women's wardrobes for centuries, particularly in Genoa. Etymology: from the Arabic mi'zar The most widely accepted etymology today traces mezzaro back to the Arabic word mi'zar, which referred to a veil or cloth used to cover the head or body. Numerous variants recorded in Mediterranean dialects der

An exotic debut and a revolution in taste Between the 17th and 19th centuries, painted or printed Indian cotton, known in Europe as indienne, sparked a profound transformation in taste and fashion. These fabrics, such as chintz (from the Indian word chint, meaning variegated or spotted) and calicoes (from Calicut, a city that became synonymous with printed cloth), were at first considered too "ordinary" and used only for bedspreads or to clothe the poorer classes. Yet they so

Dhaka Muslin, the finest cotton ever woven in Bengal: the story of its splendour at the Mughal court, its decline under colonial rule and its revival today.

If objects could tell the story of their appearance and disappearance, of their journeys across the surface of the earth, carried by chance, necessity and human passions, they would reveal a compelling tapestry capable of uncovering hidden meanings in the flow of human history. And if one were to tell the enchanting story that has linked India to Western civilisation for millennia, it would reveal all the similarities and coincidences that uncover the affinities between the E