Detail map of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain

Overview map of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain

James I's Sumptuary Law Confirms that Printed Textiles Exist in Europe

1234

Portrait of King James I of Aragon. A 16th century copy of a medieval altarpiece located in the city of Palma,

In 1231 James I the Conqueror, King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier, promulgated a "sumptutary law" forbidding certain groups of the population from wearing "estampados" or printed fabrics. This is the earliest documentation that printed textiles existed in Europe.

Carter, Invention of Printing in China 2nd ed (1955) 198, footnote 8.

Timeline Themes

Printing by Handpress or by Hand

Technology / Engineering