Thank you for posting this - it annoys me when ppl talk about 'art quilts' as if they were a whole new idea and that the only 'real quilts' are the ones to be used. You make many valid and interesting points.
From my own readings on the subject, cotton fabrics specifically for quilting were being produced in America and Europe from as early as the 18th Century and the myth that quilting was 'invented' by American Pioneer ladies using up their scraps is just that - a myth. Of course this did happen as well but is only a small part of the story. Quilting and patchwork had already been around in Europe and Asia for centuries before the white man even set foot in America.
I've seen a quilted piece in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London dating from the 14th Century that is anything but utilitarian OR American for that matter. :-D
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journal...om-the-coilte/ This is one of the Tristan pieces that you mention. :-D