Textiles played a central role in historic interior decoration. Patterned silks, embroideries, tapestries, gilt leather, and flocked canvas hangings were all used as upholstery materials or for wall decoration. The papers assembled in this publication were presented during an international colloquium held at the Abegg-Stiftung in the year 2005. They include contributions on textile decorations at the courts of France and Spain, the silk designer and entrepreneur Philippe de Lasalle, Russian copies of French silks, British state beds, as well as Oriental carpets and Chinese painted silks, written by eminent scholars from European and North American museums and universities.