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## 介面
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### 多行文字
HTMLText_673C817F_4277_F561_41CC_B8955BD4D87C.html = Prized by Chinese and foreign merchants as an essential commodity along a vast trade network, silk served multiple roles throughout the ancient world: as fabric for garments, as a form of currency and method of tax payment, and as a medium and subject matter for professional artists and the literati class. Over the centuries, silk fabrics have remained synonymous with beauty and are entwined throughout the history of Chinese art and literature.
Beginning in the Song dynasty (960-1279) and flourishing into the Qing (1644-1911), craftsmen took up shuttles and needles as their brushes and silk threads as their pigments, creating exquisitely woven and embroidered pictorial and calligraphic works. In the hands of the weavers and embroiderers, weft-woven silk tapestry (kesi) and embroidery (cixiu) evolved into an art form—a fusion of painting, calligraphy and hand weaving or embroidering for aesthetic appreciation. When viewed together, the interdisciplinary nature of these vivid depictions of images and text occupy a unique and unbroken place within the history of Chinese visual culture.
Extending from the Qing dynasty to the mid-20th century, UMAG’s silk textile collection encompasses a diverse range of subjects and formats that include hanging scrolls, framed panels, banners and robes. Each artwork exemplifies the sophisticated craftsmanship of the artisans and the collective stories of the Qing dynasty’s textile industry.
Exhibition Curators: Dr Florian Knothe, Kikki Lam
360 Project Leader: Chelsea Choi, Cindy Lau
Photographer: Jasmin Lin
Other Contributors: Elena Cheung, Bibiana Tsang, Cherrie Kwok
©2021 by University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong.
Pictorial Silks: Chinese Textiles from the UMAG Collection
Pictorial Silks: Chinese Textiles from the UMAG Collection
Prized by Chinese and foreign merchants as an essential commodity along a vast trade network, silk served multiple roles throughout the ancient world: as fabric for garments, as a form of currency and method of tax payment, and as a medium and subject matter for professional artists and the literati class. Over the centuries, silk fabrics have remained synonymous with beauty and are entwined throughout the history of Chinese art and literature.
Beginning in the Song dynasty (960-1279) and flourishing into the Qing (1644-1911), craftsmen took up shuttles and needles as their brushes and silk threads as their pigments, creating exquisitely woven and embroidered pictorial and calligraphic works. In the hands of the weavers and embroiderers, weft-woven silk tapestry (kesi) and embroidery (cixiu) evolved into an art form—a fusion of painting, calligraphy and hand weaving or embroidering for aesthetic appreciation. When viewed together, the interdisciplinary nature of these vivid depictions of images and text occupy a unique and unbroken place within the history of Chinese visual culture.
Extending from the Qing dynasty to the mid-20th century, UMAG’s silk textile collection encompasses a diverse range of subjects and formats that include hanging scrolls, framed panels, banners and robes. Each artwork exemplifies the sophisticated craftsmanship of the artisans and the collective stories of the Qing dynasty’s textile industry.
Exhibition Curators: Dr Florian Knothe, Kikki Lam
360 Project Leader: Chelsea Choi, Cindy Lau
Photographer: Jasmin Lin
Other Contributors: Elena Cheung, Bibiana Tsang, Cherrie Kwok
© 2021 by University Museum and Art Gallery , the University of Hong Kong
A Chinese Comedian
William Alexander (1767–1816)
Britain, 1805
Coloured aquatint print
Gift of Chance Collection
HKU.Pr.2020.2485
Holding stage props such as weapons and wearing a robe with a striking tiger-like motif, this male stage player most likely represents a general or military figure. Painted by William Alexander, a draughtsman appointed to accompany Lord McCartney’s (1737–1806) embassy to Peking in 1792, this artwork was one of forty-eight aquatints etched by Alexander in his The Costume of China (1805). During his time in China, Alexander produced thousands of sketches of Chinese landscapes and costumes. These paintings were later published in several volumes and became one of the primary sources for the Western imagination of China.
Boys at play
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) with metallic threads, panel
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1666
Woven on a richly embellished golden ground with polychrome threads, the children represent a popular design known as Yingxi tu (‘Boys at play’), which represents the desire for a large family. Similar panels woven in shuangmian touke (‘double-sided translucent silk tapestry’), with attractive identical images on the front and back, were often used as two-sided screens for desks or room dividers, the latter typically placed in the wedding chamber of a newly married couple.
Daoist immortals
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) with metallic threads, horizontal scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1669
Dragon robe (Left)
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century
Silk with metallic threads
Gift of Dr T T Tsui, Tsui Art Foundation Ltd
Dragon robe (Right)
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century
Silk with metallic threads
Gift of Dr T T Tsui, Tsui Art Foundation Ltd
These dragon robes are embroidered with five-clawed dragons and other auspicious motifs, such as cranes, clouds and the character for longevity in the nashaxiu (‘counted stitch’) technique. The use of well-ventilated transparent silk gauze suggests they were worn in summer. Jifu (‘auspicious robes’) like these were worn on festive occasions such as imperial banquets. Embroidered items for the imperial court were manufactured by imperial embroidery workshops (xiufang) established during the Qing dynasty in Jiangning, Suzhou and Hangzhou. Dragon robes often took over one hundred and ninety days to complete.
Embroidered calligraphic panel
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
late 19th or early 20th century
Silk
Gift of James W. C. Hong
The couplet on this panel was written by the Qing dynasty official and calligrapher Weng Tonghe (1830–1904). To better capture the delicate shading of Weng’s brushwork, the weaver has used the taozhen (‘long-and-short stitch’) technique, in which a fluid and natural colouration is achieved by offsetting adjacent rows of stitches with fine silk threads split into four or five strands each.
Figures in the moonlight (Right)
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) with metallic threads, hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1667
Figures in a garden (Left)
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) with metallic threads, hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1668
These two kesi depict the elegant lifestyle of China’s educated elite. On Figures in the moonlight, four layers of coloured wefts, ranging from dark grey to silver, were woven in the jie (‘knotting’) technique to give the clouds a sense of three-dimensionality. Private workshops primarily served local landowners, scholar-officials and wealthy merchants; therefore, their kesi were often decorated with themes related to the daily lives of these groups.
Gathering of immortals
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) with metallic threads, hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1671
Over thirty Daoist immortals, including Shoulao (the God of Longevity), the Eight Immortals, Hehe Immortals and Magu (the Goddess of Longevity) adorn these scrolls, along with auspicious mythical creatures such as qilins and phoenixes. Kesi showing gatherings of immortals were popular among the upper-class in the Qing dynasty because of their auspicious connotations of longevity and prosperity. They were typically displayed indoors or exchanged between scholars as gifts.
Golden pheasant on a loquat tree
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1673
The golden pheasant on this kesi was woven with nearly twenty variously coloured wefts to illustrate its colourful body. A symbol of literary refinement, golden pheasants were embroidered on the robes of second-rank civil officials of the Qing court. The loquat tree was perhaps chosen as an accompanying motif because the yellow colouration of its fruit resembles gold, and the two together may have connoted wishes for the accumulation of wealth and the achievement of high rank.
Hehe Immortals
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th or early 19th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), panel
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1665
The two boys on this panel represent the Immortals of Harmony and Happiness (He-He Erxian). The gou (‘connecting’) technique, which uses wefts that differ from the colour of the subject motif for marking the pattern’s edge, outlines the silhouettes of the Hehe Immortals. The small box and lotus that they typically carry are pronounced ‘he’ in Chinese, as are the words for harmony, which forms a visual pun. Such symbolism made these common wedding gifts.
Kingfisher and roses
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1679
Woven on a beige background, this bird, likely a kingfisher with its iconic blue feathers, holds fruit in its mouth and rests on the branch of a rose bush. As the weft threads were woven horizontally on looms, the gradation of colours moves from left to right, or right to left, as seen on the kingfisher’s feathers. As roses bloom once a month, they are known as yuejihua or changchunhua (‘flowers of eternal youth’), and are traditional symbols of longevity.
Kingfishers and hibiscuses
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1676
Golden kingfisher feathers woven in the baoxingqiang (‘embracing propping’) technique, in which the shading of colours moves smoothly from the edge towards the centre, results in a darker outer area and lighter centre. Blue kingfisher feathers were used to produce clothing and hair accessories for upper-class women in imperial China, and their depiction in art was symbolic of feminine beauty. The Chinese term for hibiscus, mufurong, creates an auspicious pun as it includes sounds that resemble the words for wealth (fu) and glory (rong).
Ladies and children
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century
Silk, panel
Gift of Mr and Mrs Wellington Yee
The designs illustrate a peaceful landscape of noble ladies and children playing.
A pavilion, fences, ornamental rocks and trees create a typical Chinese garden scene often found in paintings and illustrations. The blue colouration of the child’s robe is embroidered in sanlanxiu (‘three shades of blue embroidery’)—pale blue, blue and dark blue silk threads, a popular embroidery technique used in the Qing dynasty.
Longevity banner commemorating the 70th birthday of Xu Yingkui
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1900
Silk with metallic threads
Gift of Dr Hui Wai Haan
Longevity banner commemorating the 73rd birthday of Xu Yingkui
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1903
Silk with metallic threads
Gift of Dr Hui Wai Haan
These two longevity banners were presented to Xu Yingkui (1830–1903), the Qing Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, to commemorate his seventieth and seventy-third birthdays. Various symbols of longevity and auspicious meanings appear on the banner, such as Shoulao, the God of Longevity, cranes and bats. Embroidered silk banners like these were often used to decorate interiors during birthday or wedding banquets, or as wall hangings in temple lecture halls.
Magu offering wine
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th or early 19th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1670
Accompanied by a phoenix and a child attendant holding a ruyi (a wish-granting wand), the figure on this scroll is Magu, the Goddess of Longevity. Magu carries the lingzhi mushroom, from which she brews longevity wine for the birthday banquet of the Queen Mother of the West. The white pearls of her headdress were painted with brushes using a technique known as kehua (‘silk tapestry and painting’). The choice of this figure suggests that the tapestry was intended as a birthday present, most likely for a woman.
Mandarin ducks and peach blossoms
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1680
The colourful feathers of mandarin ducks were woven using the changduanqiang (‘long-and-short propping’) technique; while the subtle gradation of the greyish-green grass was woven with the fengweiqiang (‘phoenix tale propping’) technique, wherein two weft threads, one thicker and one thinner, are interwoven to create a graceful flow of colours. In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks symbolise a harmonious marriage, as they are thought to mate for life. The design of the kesi was probably inspired by the Song dynasty (960–1279) hanging scroll Taohua yuanyang tu zhou (Peach Blossom and Mandarin Ducks).
Orioles and magnolias
China, late 19th or mid-20th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1675
The finely woven feathers, claws and beaks of the orioles, as well as the magnolias, offer a vivid illustration of spring. This tapestry was woven by Shen Jinshui (1883–1968), one of the three most prominent kesi weavers in Suzhou, who reportedly served in the imperial workshops of the Forbidden City, and was invited to teach kesi weaving at the Suzhou Cixiu Yanjiusuo (‘Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute’) in the 1950s. This weaving tradition was included in the first group of items designated for the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China in 2006.
Peonies
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry) with metallic threads,
hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1672
The brightly coloured peonies and leaves were woven in various shades of red, pink, orange and green weft threads using the changduanqiang (‘long-and-short propping’) technique. Its dazzling golden ground provides the tapestry a particularly luxurious and elegant appearance. Blossoming peonies express the wish huakai fugui (‘may you be prosperous’), and have traditionally been favoured on objects owned by scholars and nobles.
Set of hanging panels
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), late 19th or early 20th century
Embroidered silk, black lacquer and mother-of-pearl
Gift of Dr T T Tsui, Tsui Art Foundation Ltd
These panels illustrate the Eight Sights of Guangzhou, a collection of views of famous tourist attractions in the city. Such views first appeared in travel literature during the Song dynasty (960–1279), with the selected sights changing over successive dynasties. Views of Datong Temple, Changpu Creek and the Pearl River illuminated by the moonlight have been finely embroidered. The cosmopolitan nature of the city is illustrated by the presence of Western-style buildings, steamships and foreign merchants, the latter identifiable by their distinct black top hats and walking sticks.
Sparrows and hibiscuses
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1678
The feathers of the sparrows were woven with polychrome wefts in the guan (‘flinging’) technique, in which two or more similarly coloured wefts are woven continuously according to the silhouette of patterns so as to achieve the gradation in colour. Each sparrow is presented in a different dynamic pose. Often depicted with pink-and-white blossoms, hibiscuses are also called jushuang (meaning ‘resistant to frost’) because they bloom in autumn. Green- and brown-coloured wefts woven in the changduanqiang technique illustrate decaying leaves, probably to suggest autumn or the passing of seasons.
The Lugard Tribute
Guangzhou, China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1910
Silk scroll with a red sandalwood casket and silver mounts
On permanent loan from Major Richard Pinker
Embroidered against a pale-yellow background, this silk satin scroll was a gift presented to Sir Frederick Lugard (1858–1945), the fourteenth British Governor of Hong Kong (1907–1912) in recognition of his contributions while governor, by eighty-four local Chinese shenshang (prominent ‘gentry-merchants’). Stored in an ornately carved red sandalwood casket adorned with bat-shaped silver brackets, the scroll is delicately embroidered with auspicious motifs, such as mandarin ducks and butterflies symbolising harmonious relationships and joyfulness.
Two figures
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th or early 19th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), panel
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1664
The two figures wear the distinctive clothing of scholar-officials. While sightseeing on a mountain, they are surrounded by bats and clouds, which symbolise wealth and good fortune. The shading of the green and blue slopes was achieved by using the changduanqiang (‘long and short propping’) technique, in which various long and short, light- and dark-coloured wefts are offset from each other to create a fluid and natural colouration.
Growing peony
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1674
This kesi illustrates the different stages of the growth of a green peony. On the lower branches, three tiny flower buds are woven in red-coloured wefts. In the middle register the peony is blossoming, and at the top it has fully bloomed. The gradation of tones on the peony and its leaves are finely woven with different shades of green-coloured wefts using the changduanqiang (‘long-and-short propping’) technique.
Oriole and cloves
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th century
Kesi (silk tapestry), hanging scroll
Gift of Dr Lam Kwok Pun
HKU.T.2008.1677
With a pinkish beak and smooth colourful feathers, the oriole on this silk tapestry is shown leaning forward and singing. Clove blossoms woven in red and blue wefts with subtle gradations evoke the warmth and vitality of spring. Because cloves bloom in spring, they are thought to be auspicious symbols of growth and prosperity. This work employs the hehuaxian (‘twisted coloured thread’) technique, in which two or three coloured threads are entwined to form a single polychrome strand. Hehuaxian was widely adopted by kesi weavers during the Qing dynasty, particularly in the production of kesi depicting bird feathers in white and grey, such as the jaw of the oriole on this tapestry.