The threshold of the marketplace

Abstract

Linen was a major commodity in pre-industrial societies. Despite this material being broadly used among all social ranks of Renaissance Florence, the linen industry has received scant attention by scholars who have instead mostly focused on the manufacture of high-quality woollen and silk cloth. An in-depth study of the household account books of several patrician families dating from the 15th and 16th centuries has allowed me to shed light on the importance of women in processing, exchanging and caring of flaxen fabrics. Drawing on a broad sample of unexplored women’s practical writings, this article will show how these economic activities were not just oriented to self-consumption and domestic use, but were often directed towards local and regional markets. I will also argue that women’s participation in this sector of textile production has been a determining factor allowing them to acquire a complex set of management skills within the household economy.