Length of Silk
1880-1930 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The length of cream silk patterned with a design of blossoming branches was produced by the gauze weave technique. The crossing action of the warp (longitudinal) threads during the weaving process leaves spaces in the textile. The end result is a firm yet airy fabric suitable for bed curtains and, when worked with embroidery, for Chinese women's garments and cuffs.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Plain-weave patterned silk |
| Brief description | Length of silk, cream coloured plain-weave patterned silk gauze, China, 1880-1930 |
| Physical description | Length of cream coloured plain-weave patterned silk gauze with alternating bands of plum and other blossoming sprays. The pattern is in gauze weave against a plain weave ground. The weave technique employed here is typical of 19th and 20th century Chinese patterned gauzes in that certain wefts are released from their plain weave interlacing and float across several warps in close proximity to the gauze twist. Also, on the reverse, within a given patterned area, some of the fixed ends float over the back when not required to form a gauze twist. This leaves the doup-end of the pair to bind the wefts in the non-gauze section of each separate motif. At one end of the silk length are two bands of green running from selvedge to selvedge. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | This type of silk might have been used to make white cuffs for traditional gowns. The design of spring blossoms suggests it would have been used for women's clothes. In this case the silk would have been cut into strips and embroidered. The gauze weave pattern would have been partly obscured by the added embroidery. |
| Credit line | Addis Bequest |
| Object history | Registered File number 1965/3344. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The length of cream silk patterned with a design of blossoming branches was produced by the gauze weave technique. The crossing action of the warp (longitudinal) threads during the weaving process leaves spaces in the textile. The end result is a firm yet airy fabric suitable for bed curtains and, when worked with embroidery, for Chinese women's garments and cuffs. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.99-1983 |
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| Record created | February 12, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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