Case

Museum number:
9-21262a,b
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm210921262a@2cb
Alternate number:
4697 (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.4697
Description:
Rectangular suspended case for keys or hair pins. a) Outer case: moon blue silk gauze appliqued with a peony design of many colored, overlaid threads in up to three layers. One side emphasizes pink, the other, green. The straight sides have the same kind of applique, but on black broadcloth, and with a bud and leaf pattern. The top has only leaves. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: very, very fine embroidery. Pattern on sides may be crabapples - there are four petals; here only three are shown; you infer the presence of the fourth behind these three. Embroidery on cover is appliqued on - you can see edges with tiny stitches and with couching. I don’t know of any factories that do this kind of embroidery. There are factories for weaving brocade, but not for this kind of embroidery. The stiff case lined with hot-pink cotton. b) Inner case: covered with sapphire blue satin. In front, two doors open at medium height. They reveal two compartments lined with the same hot pink cotton as the outer case. The vertical center duct conceals the carrying cords. The 44 cm long burnt sienna double cord forms a loop above. When it emerges from the bottom of the inner case, it runs through an imitation coral bead and a winding in the traditional three colors: white, blue and black. Then the two ends split and after 2.3 cm are once more wound with threads in the traditional three colors. They are simply cut off after a further 5 cm. Height of outer case: 12 cm; width: 7 cm; depth: 1.5 cm.
Donor:
Ilse Martin Fang
Collector:
Ilse Martin Fang
Collection date:
1944
Materials:
Cotton (textile), Satin, Satin (embroidery. silk, applique, broadcloth, cotton, satin, bead), and Silk
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Embroidery (visual works)
Function:
2.2 Personal Adornments and Accoutrements
Accession date:
December 15, 1998
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Dimensions:
Outer case— width 7 centimeters, Outer case— height 12 centimeters, Double cord— length 44 centimeters, and Outer case— depth 1.5 centimeters
Images:
Hearst Museum object titled Case, accession number 9-21262a,b, described as Rectangular suspended case for keys or hair pins. a) Outer case: moon blue silk gauze appliqued with a peony design of many colored, overlaid threads in up to three layers. One side emphasizes pink, the other, green. The straight sides have the same kind of applique, but on black broadcloth, and with a bud and leaf pattern. The top has only leaves. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: very, very fine embroidery. Pattern on sides may be crabapples - there are four petals; here only three are shown; you infer the presence of the fourth behind these three. Embroidery on cover is appliqued on - you can see edges with tiny stitches and with couching. I don’t know of any factories that do this kind of embroidery. There are factories for weaving brocade, but not for this kind of embroidery. The stiff case lined with hot-pink cotton. b) Inner case: covered with sapphire blue satin. In front, two doors open at medium height. They reveal two compartments lined with the same hot pink cotton as the outer case. The vertical center duct conceals the carrying cords. The 44 cm long burnt sienna double cord forms a loop above. When it emerges from the bottom of the inner case, it runs through an imitation coral bead and a winding in the traditional three colors: white, blue and black. Then the two ends split and after 2.3 cm are once more wound with threads in the traditional three colors. They are simply cut off after a further 5 cm. Height of outer case: 12 cm; width: 7 cm; depth: 1.5 cm.

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