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Ma mian qun

Skirt
1850-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This panelled skirt is known as ma mian qun ('horse-face skirt'), a reference to the shaped panels. The skirt is made from two segments of pale-blue silk damask, secured into a white cotton waistband, overlapping each other. Each piece comprises a straight, densely embroidered panel and a pleated panel. When the skirt is worn in a wraparound style, the decorated panels form the front and back, with the pleats flaring out at the sides.
Every individual pleat is defined with narrow bias-cut black satin, embroidered with floral and butterfly motifs at the bottom in white and shades of blue. The recessed space between each pleat is similarly embroidered with further stems and branches of flowers, offering glimpses of the pattern when the wearer moves. A three-quarter-length jacket would have been worn over the skirt, so the embroidered details have been kept to the lower section, where they would have been visible.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMa mian qun (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silk damask; embroidery in silk and metallic threads; plain-weave cotton
Brief description
Skirt for a Han woman (ma mian qun), silk damask with embroidery in silks and gold thread, edged with silk satin, China, Qing dynasty, 1850-1900
Physical description
Pleated skirt of pale blue patterned damask, embroidered with floral patterns in four shades of blue, white, green and gold silk thread. The pleats and the panels are edged with black satin, which also forms a border.
Dimensions
  • Height: 37in
  • Width: 108in
Style
Credit line
Bequeathed by Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons FSA
Object history
Registered File number 1926/6626.
Subject depicted
Summary
This panelled skirt is known as ma mian qun ('horse-face skirt'), a reference to the shaped panels. The skirt is made from two segments of pale-blue silk damask, secured into a white cotton waistband, overlapping each other. Each piece comprises a straight, densely embroidered panel and a pleated panel. When the skirt is worn in a wraparound style, the decorated panels form the front and back, with the pleats flaring out at the sides.
Every individual pleat is defined with narrow bias-cut black satin, embroidered with floral and butterfly motifs at the bottom in white and shades of blue. The recessed space between each pleat is similarly embroidered with further stems and branches of flowers, offering glimpses of the pattern when the wearer moves. A three-quarter-length jacket would have been worn over the skirt, so the embroidered details have been kept to the lower section, where they would have been visible.
Other number
Loan No. 685
Collection
Accession number
T.137-1926

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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