Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: EMPIRE LINES
Episode: The Czartoryski Polonaise Carpet (17th Century)
Description: Dr. Paulina Banas unravels the purported Persian roots of 17th century Polish identities, through the Czartoryski Polonaise Carpet.
Imported from the Safavid Persian Empire, Polonaise carpets were highly prized across the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – so much so that they were often mistaken as Polish-made. But beyond symbols of wealth, these textiles served a particular purpose for the Polish upper-classes, who looked East to consolidate their domestic rule. Weaving together Persian patterns with a Polish coat of arms, the Czartoryski Carpet challenges theories of exotic consumption, exposing transimperial textiles and identities.
PRESENTER: Dr. Paulina Banas, post-doctoral fellow an...