Object class: Embroidery (visual works) / Collection place: Northern China / Accession number: Acc.4697 - Hearst Museum Portal Search Results

Start Over Object class Embroidery (visual works) Collection place Northern China Accession number Acc.4697

Hearst Museum object titled Basketry cap, accession number 9-21241a,b, described as a: little boy’s black satin cap. Blue and white lining with off-lozenge-shape pattern. Front center: flower basket (appliqued machine embroidery) over lace strips symbolizing rocks and water. Top right and left: trifoils of bead-chains (clouds?) flanking one paillette star. Red pompom and triangular constellation in star-studded sky represent top rank in imperial examinations. b: bag of beads that have fallen off cap.

Hearst Museum object titled Boots (footwear), accession number 9-21284a,b, described as a and b: pair of little boy’s silk boots. Shaft sea green satin with yellow, pink and brown chrysanthemums embroidered in satin stitch. Front and back seams piped black to 2.5 cm from top edge. Height 17 cm in front, 11.5 cm in back; width 12 cm. Lining of cobalt blue loose weave cotton cloth loosely stitched to upper edge with rose-colored thread. Uppers joined by side seams instead of the usual seams at tip and heel. Cinnabar red satin with peony pattern embroidered in stin stitch. Shades blue, grey and white. Seams piped black. Mouse grey piping between uppers and inner sole. The latter consists of 0.4 cm-thick, layered cloth covered with originally white, coarse cotton cloth. Twine-stitched to this inner sole the thick white sole, 2.2 cm thick at heel, 2.4 cm at toe-balls, 0.8 cm at bent-up tip. Bottom covered with leather stitched on with long stitches. Overall length of thick sole: 17 cm; overall height of boot: 25 cm; greatest width of sole: 6.2 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Case cover, accession number 9-21263, described as Ivory-colored, rectangular (needle?) case cover. Ivory satin, bordered at top and bottom with narrow tape with looped scallops and a running red-dot-in-black-bar pattern; and a 1 cm-wide black satin border. Seam down center of back. Top opening closed in the center with stitches of green to resemble webbing. Same at bottom, back only. Interfacing and pink, glazed coarse cotton lining. The bottom opening suggests that this case slid over a receptacle, perhaps for sewing needles. It would have hung by 2 cords passing upward on either side of the closure. (Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: for needle case or anything with same dimensions, such as visiting cards or ivory plaques reminding person when to go to audience). A phoenix over a peony and other flowers is embroidered on the front in satin and stem stitch and Peking knots. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: Good satin with good embroidery. Height: 11 cm; width 6 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Collar, accession number 9-21301, described as Collar, for official’s uniform; Manchu style; black silk gauze with tapestry-stitch embroidery over gold foil, eight strands of gold thread separate border of bats and double Ju-i scepters from main pattern. From back, two five-clawed dragons vie for flamed pearl of perfection, above waves and rocks; clouds, Ju-i scepters, Buddhist swastikas, bats, dragons in gold thread. Front closure with brass button. Piping around neckline of same blue and gold brocade with chrysanthemum pattern as 3.5 cm border of the collar. With crimson, peony-patterned, silk lining.

Hearst Museum object titled Collar, accession number 9-21299, described as Collar; four-lobed; ivory satin in cloud shape; bordered with brown satin around woven sea-green tape scalloped on one side and, between two fine brown lines, the running patterns of red dots on black bars and blue and red flowers. Closed in front with two brown frogs. Front and rear panels: peonies in shades of blue and white. Shoulder panels: same around overlaid gold threads outlining double coins and a Ju-i scepter. Lobes connected below with tabs. Collar lined vermillion. D. neck opening: 9 cm. aize 34 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Headband, accession number 9-21248, described as Headband for a married woman. Cobalt-blue patterned silk between broad, black satin upper and lower borders. The lower border ends in appliqued cloud pattern edged in green and silver. Borders finely and colorfully embroidered in a pattern of flowers, Buddha-hand citrus fruit, bats and butterflies. Pink cotton lining, violet braided button and loop closing. Borders outlined in green piping; the blue center strip additionally in white and gold. Headband length 50 cm; height 6.5 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Headband, accession number 9-21246, described as Headband and neckguard for a child. Midnight-blue satin; tacked-back ear flaps black-bordered yellow satin. Lower neck end scalloped. Over it water, rocks, lotus, clouds, butterflies. Headband: various flowers; earflaps: peach blossoms. Heart-shaped sculpted flower on center top, in red satin. Mostly coarse satin and stem stitch. Seed stitch where appropriate, and exclusively on ear flaps. Cerulean blue silk lining. Split on lower side reveals interfacing of satin before embroidering, and silk-waste padding. Overall length of folded piece: 36 cm; width of unfolded lower end: 28 cm; front end height: 12 cm; height of neck guard: 22 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Headband, accession number 9-21247, described as Headband for a young woman. Violet-patterned silk center, blue satin ends. Blue satin lower piping; black on top. Upper border cerulian blue with a gold-thread-outlined yellow satin applique wave frieze resting on red, pink, and white piping. Violet center panel topped and underlined by a yellow, loosely woven tape, with a red-dot-on-black-bar pattern. Lower border tells the tale of the English China Willow pattern: magpies forming a bridge in heaven for the cowherd to meet his bride, the weaver’s daughter. Various stitches in corded and flossy silk thread on white satin. Clouds appliqued onto the blue ends in maize-colored, patterned silk, outlined with a violet woven tape with blossom-and-dot pattern in white; and silver thread. Apricot-colored cotton lining; no closure. Long edge (lower edge) of headband 45 cm L.

Hearst Museum object titled Headdress, accession number 9-21251, described as Headband with neckguard, Mongolian style. Black-edged crimson satin, lower neck end scalloped. Embroidery pattern rising from there: waves and rocks with peonies; 4 of the eight scholarly treasures (incense burner, picture scroll, bamboo flute, fan); fish. Above, cranes and peaches (for long life) between clouds. Around crown: bats and clouds, bamboo; lions with their embroidered balls, coral stems. Upturned ear flaps in yellow satin embroidered with chrysanthemums, the sketched design not followed faithfully. Lining ultramarine-blue, patterned silk. Mostly coarse satin stitch, some seed stitch or stem stitch; padding for eyes, overlay cording for spines. Ear flaps originally tacked back. Overall length of folded piece 41 cm; width of unfolded lower end: 28 cm; front center height: 11.5 cm; height of neck guard: 26 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Ho-pao (perfume) pouches, accession number 9-21257a,b, described as a and b: Pair of navy-blue “ho-pao” (perfume) pouches. Heavy satin, coarsely embroidered with satin and chain stitch. Within a border of rainbow stripes a blue and white chain around water, rocks and three bats. Image over center bat unidentified. Legend: “May all things go as you wish”. Back and front identical. Top gathered into fifteen pleats permanently stitched together. An olive green hanging strap loops 22 cm high with a fake turquoise bead 5 cm above the upper edge on both straps. It is flanked by windings in the traditional color scheme of white, navy blue, and black. The same arrangement on the double drawstrings emerging from the sides of the pleats. The turquoise bead and its windings combine both straps each time, but another winding occurs separately on both ends farther down the 18.5 cm long straps. They are simply cut off at the end. Width of bag: 12 cm; height: 11.3 cm. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: Prescribed rainbow colors around edge. re: bat image: the word for “bat” was the same, “fu”, as for good luck; so the image stood for good luck. These were Manchu pouches, but they didn’t come in with the Manchus - it’s an 800 year old design, dating back to the Sung Dynasty.