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Not on display

Length of Silk

1880-1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
China (made)

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

Category
Textiles
Object type
Length of silk
Materials and techniques
Plain-weave patterned silk
Silk (Textile)
Gauze Weave
Weaving
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
  • Width: 76cm
  • Length: 568cm
Styles
Qing
Republican China
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Te yi gong si qian men jingying guanli chu' (Accompanying notes.)
    Translation
    The Te Yi (special Arts and Crafts) Company: Administrative & Management Department at Qianmen
  • Translation
    Item number: 93 Description of Item: Chun sha 16.5 chi Price: 15.00
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
Blossom
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
  • Wilson, Verity, Chinese Textiles, London: V&A publications, 2005, page 44, plate 45
  • 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 8
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.99-1983

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O23478/length-of-silk-unknown/
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