With our early arrival in Lyon, we had most of a day
before Laura and Bruce arrived, so we headed over to the Musee de Tissues. Lyon was the center of the French silk manufacture
according to royal decree. One
silk-maker told us that Lyon was the end of the silk road and thus became the
center. I had read somewhere that the Chinese
emperor forbade any trade in worms to preserve the silk market, but some were
smuggled out of China to Italy, only to be smuggled out of Italy to
France. But it is undisputed that Lyon
became the capital of French silk-making.
The Musee des Tissues displayed traditional silks in every conceivable
form – from basic fabrics to intricate silks worn by royalty, to newer versions
infused with LED lights. No photos, of
course.
Next door was the Musee des Arts Decoratif, also no
photos. Three or four floors were laid
out with rooms decorated in various Lyonais styles. Suffice to say that it was a very rich city,
and as we would see later at the Musee des Beaux Arts, with its own schools of
painting and architecture.
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