A Splendid Sight

Abstract

Chapter 3 examines Asian colchas, a term used in both Spanish and Portuguese to designate richly embroidered coverlets, as objects central to elite consumption in early modern Iberia. Focusing on Juan de Borja’s decision to include seven colchas in his 1577 embassy to Vienna, the chapter argues that these textiles were not merely expressions of personal taste or fashion. Rather, they formed part of a carefully constructed strategy of representation through which Borja sought to assert his authority on Portuguese affairs and his privileged access to overseas goods within the imperial court. By analysing the material qualities of colchas, including their silk surfaces, luminous effects, and dense embroidery, alongside their multiple uses in domestic and ceremonial settings, the chapter demonstrates how their meaning operated primarily through visual display. It concludes that their prominence reflects the growing centrality of sight in shaping regimes of consumption and communication in the late sixteenth century.