Big Business for Firms and States: Silk Manufacturing in Renaissance Italy

Abstract

Silk manufacturing began in Lucca in the twelfth century and by the fifteenth century Italy had become the largest producer of silk textiles in Europe, nurtured by extensive domestic and foreign demand for the luxurious fabric. This essay explores the market for silk textiles, the organization of the silk industry, and the role played in it by guilds, entrepreneurs and their capital, and highly sought after artisans. Just as silk manufacturing was an important and lucrative business for entrepreneurs, this article argues, so was it a crucial strategic activity for the governments of Italy's Renaissance states, whose incentives, protections, and investments helped to start up and grow the sector with the aim of generating wealth and strengthening their respective economies.

Fifty years of artisan entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review

“…The consequences of developing artisan entrepreneurship are grouped into three categories, namely social, organizational, and individual consequences. Social consequences are based on the quality of one's social life (Franceschi, 2020;Hill, 2020;Nayak et al, 2022;Ramadani et al, 2017). As found by Tregear (2005), artisans strike a balance between community involvement and commercial success with which they feel comfortable.…”

“…In Western cultures, the production of artisan goods reflects the qualities of the community, embodying dignity, skill, integrity, self-confidence, and an emphasis on factors surrounding skills related to artisanal production (Teixeira & Ferreira, 2019). Therefore, a region may develop its competitiveness by taking advantage of its cultural heritage, social networks, and artisan products (Franceschi, 2020;Oral et al, 2021;Ratten et al, 2019;Salas-Vargas et al, 2021). However, without understanding factors that lead to the success of artisan entrepreneurship, there may be a lack of support for its development.…”