China

China

The kurgans of Pazyryk, in the Altai mountains of southern Siberia, yielded the burials of noblemen who had been buried there in the fourth and third centuries BC. The tombs included many textiles, including Chinese silks with embroideries. The first of the barrows (kurgans) was excavated in 1929; others were studied between 1947 and 1949 by Sergei Ivanovich Rudenko.

'The prophecy of Calchas' is the name given to a large hanging now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. It probably dates to the late sixteenth century, and was likely made in China (Macao?). It measures 375 x 498 cm and is made of a cotton ground material with silk and gilt paper wrapped embroidery thread (Japanese thread) and with painted decorations.

The Textile Research Centre in Leiden houses an embroidered rank badge or panel, from late nineteenth century China. It measures 31 x 29 cm and is made of a silk ground material and silk and metal thread embroidery, with applied coral beads.

'Riding a Crane over a Beautiful Terrace' or ' Riding a Crane over Yaotai' is an embroidered picture based on a painting. It was worked during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and used a plethora of different techniques, including consecutive stitch, darning, knot stitch, mixed straight stitch, net stitch, pine-needle stitch, random stitch, stem stitch, and couching.

'The sacrifice of Polyxena' is the name given to a large hanging now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. It probably dates to the late sixteenth century, and was likely made in China (Macao?). It measures 381 x 523 cm and is made of a cotton ground material with silk and gilt paper wrapped embroidery thread (Japanese thread) and with painted decorations.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art houses a hanging showing Shakyamuni Buddha and the eighteen arhats. It measures 105 x 75 cm and dates to the nineteenth century and derives from eastern Tibet. It is made of silk with silk thread embroidery.

Shu xiu (蜀绣) or Sichuan embroidery originates from the area around Chengdu, in Sichuan Province. It has a centuries-old history. It is based on the use of coloured silk and satin cloth. It is marked by its even stitching and subtle colours. The general closeness of the stitches allows for embroidering intricate details. It is used to decorate pillow cases, shoes, quilt covers, garments, and screens.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London houses an embroidered scroll painting from China, which dates to the third quarter of the nineteenth century. It is made of silk and embroidered with silk thread, and measures 160 x 43 cm. The embroidery shows a willow tree, kingfishers and swallows.

Suzhou or Su Xiu (苏绣) embroidery is created around the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Embroidery has been carried out in this part of China for many centuries. Embroiderers are known for their use of many embroidery techniques and hundreds of different types of threads.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art houses a table frontal from China, which dates to the early nineteenth century. It measures 83.2 x 95.3 cm. It is made of silk satin with silk and metal thread embroidery and bast fibre lining.

Xiang or Hunan embroidery derives from the lands around the town of Changsha, in Hunan Province. It is characterised by its dark and light colour gradations. By its emphasis on the contrast between light and dark, it provides a three-dimensional effect. It is also marked by its use of empty spaces, in this way recalling Chinese ink and wash paintings.

Yue xiu is also known as Guang xiu (粤绣/广秀) or Cantonese embroidery, and this form of Chinese embroidery derives from Chaozhou, in Guangdong Province. It is characterised by its complicated, but symmetrical patterns, its bright colours, variety of stitches varied stitches. It is at times reminiscent of Western paintings because of its colour combinations and the contrast between light and dark.

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