Before 1854 trade with Japan was confined to a Dutch monopoly and Japanese goods imported into Europe were for the most part confined to porcelain and lacquer ware. But when the 200-year-old Japanese foreign policy of Seclusion ended and trade between Japan and the West opened up, a sort of collection craze of Japanese art … More Japanesery
Headgear doesn’t define a woman´s position, but in Austria´s (and much of Western Europe´s) current political climate, the head scarf has become a symbol-laden topic of political debate. The garment has become a veiled metaphor for something else in political rhetoric. Not coincidentally, I think, the Weltmuseum Wien now has a special exhibition, not on … More Underneath it all – the long cultural history of the head scarf at Weltmuseum Wien
