Length of Silk thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Length of Silk

ca.1880 - ca.1940 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This gold-brown length of silk has subdued twill roundels woven along its length. The roundels are placed so that, when the material is cut and sewn to make a robe or jacket, the design is evenly spaced and sits well on the back and front of the finished garment. This type of roundel pattern lends itself to East Asian straight-seamed tailoring - not the only dressmaking tradition in that region, but one of the most popular.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Plain weave silk with twill weave decoration
Brief description
Silk length, gold/brown plain weave silk with twill weave decoration, China, ca.1880-1940
Physical description
Bolt end of silk. This bolt end matches FE.111-1983 and is likely to have come from the same length as it. Of the two, this is the longer section
The silk is decorated with dragon roundels 21cm in diameter in twill weave against a plain weave ground. The roundels are spaced across the silk at 18cm intervals. The bolt end has yellow bands running across it. Towards the end of the bolt the roundels are smaller and are arranged in two groups of three. This is a feature common to these men's dress silks and may be the horsehoof cuff section.
Dimensions
  • Length: 278cm
  • Width: 80.5cm
Credit line
Addis Bequest
Object history
Registered File number 1965/3344.
Subject depicted
Summary
This gold-brown length of silk has subdued twill roundels woven along its length. The roundels are placed so that, when the material is cut and sewn to make a robe or jacket, the design is evenly spaced and sits well on the back and front of the finished garment. This type of roundel pattern lends itself to East Asian straight-seamed tailoring - not the only dressmaking tradition in that region, but one of the most popular.
Associated object
Bibliographic references
  • Wilson, Verity. Chinese Textiles, London: V&A Publications, 2005, page 81 plate 90 (and back cover)
  • Wilson, Verity. 'A Diplomat's Collection: The Chinese Textiles of Sir John Addis' in Arts of Asia vol.33 no.2, 2003, pp.90-101 plate 13
Collection
Accession number
FE.111A-1983

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
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