Velvet and Silk, Flax and Barchent. Fragment of a Book on Ordering and Invoicing Goods of a Silesian Merchant from the 15th Century

Abstract

In the medical manuscript Ms 1137 kept by the library of the Leizpig University fragments were found, consisting of three pages of a book registering orders and invoices used as cover bonding. Acc. to a lingual analysis the text should originate from the area around Breslau. The merchant had mainly colored textiles of good quality in his assortment, however he also dealt with spices, soap or paper. The regional provenances of the fabrics were often written down, such as Zwilich cloth from Jura Mountains (Schwaben), indicating that the merchant obviously had commercial relations reaching over far distances. Today, these kind of books are very rare, because they were normally thrown away or destroyed, as they became obsolete after the purchase order had been carried out and the goods were sold.