Featured Collection Object
Fragment of a hanging or cover, China, mid 19th century. Silk, peacock feathers, metallic wrapped yarn. The Textile Museum 51.30.
Prior to the invention of synthetic dyes in the 19th century, green was among the most difficult colors to produce in textiles. Despite the prevalence of green in nature, no single plant produces a steadfast, bright green dye. To make green, people around the world typically had to dye fabric twice – once in a yellow dye and once in indigo blue. Over time the yellows often faded and many old textiles now take on a bluish hue where once there was green. In Indonesia, master dyers fiercely guarded individual recipes for green dyes. In China, a solution to the quest for green was the incorporation of peacock feathers.
Here, the color green was created by a master embroiderer who wrapped filaments of peacock feathers around silk threads, giving the object a bright iridescence. This process was very laborious and costly, so such a method was reserved for only the highest social or religious contexts. Dating from the mid-19th century, this piece was likely part of a lavish hanging or cover used for Buddhist ritual. The colorful design depicts the “eight precious things” of the Buddhist faith: double fish, canopy, endless knot, lotus, vase, conch, umbrella, and the wheel of law.
On view at The Textile Museum in Green: the Color and the Cause through September 11, 2011.