AN ASSORTMENT OF GOLD THREAD CHINESE TEXTILES, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

拍品描述

AN ASSORTMENT OF GOLD THREAD CHINESE TEXTILES, 18TH/19TH CENTURY Comprising a group of Chinese textile fragments worked in richly decorative gold thread, this assortment brings together panels of differing format, weave and design. The group includes a long black-ground border or sleeve-like section with large chrysanthemum and peony blooms, leafy sprays and small birds; a square dark-ground embroidered panel densely worked with scrolling cloud-like forms and figural details; a blue fabric backing or lining; and a further brocade panel decorated with birds and foliate ornament against a patterned ground. The most striking textile is the black-ground floral section, its dark field enlivened by metallic gold, ochre and muted red tones. Large chrysanthemum heads and peony-like blossoms are arranged among scrolling stems and small birds in flight, creating a continuous ornamental rhythm. The design reflects the importance of auspicious floral and avian imagery in Chinese dress and furnishing textiles, where flowers could carry associations of rank, prosperity, seasonal renewal and cultivated refinement. The square gold-thread panel is more densely composed, with intricate scrolling motifs, border ornament and figural decoration arranged across a dark ground. Its surface suggests the richness of ceremonial or formal textile work, where metallic thread was used to catch the light and heighten the visual splendour of robes, hangings, altar cloths or furnishing elements. The additional brocade fragment, with bird roundels and geometric patterning, further demonstrates the variety of woven and embroidered techniques represented in the group. Presented as fragments, the textiles also offer insight into the reuse, preservation and collecting of Chinese silk and brocade. Such pieces were often retained for the quality of their materials and workmanship even after their original function had been lost or altered. The visible fraying, loose threads and separated sections speak to their history as surviving components of larger garments or decorative schemes. A varied and visually rich group of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Chinese textiles, notable for their gold-thread ornament, floral and bird motifs, dark silk grounds and fragmentary evidence of earlier ceremonial or decorative use. Length x Width (1): 135 x 15cmLength x Width (2): 30 x 28.5cmLength x Width: (3): 50 x 22cm

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