Explore the ingenious process of silk production, weaving and trade through historic paintings, textiles, books – and discover where the magic begins, in the silkworm’s cocoon itself.

At its heart of this small temporary display, a suite of 19th-century watercolours from the Clemens N. Nathan Collection depicts the traditional process of making silk in China, from rearing silkworms to fabricating the final garments. 

Alongside the artworks are Qing Dynasty silk textiles collected in the 1930s by Professor Aldred Barker, a previous head of the Department of Textile Industries. Publications, specimens and ‘education’ collections demonstrate the Western curiosity in this luxurious fibre.