Silk (si) is produced by silkworms. The practice of raising silkworms is generally believed to extend back to the Neolithic period, and silk production in China probably began more than 6,000 years ago. A small ivory cup dating from at least 4000 BC has a silkworm designed on it and parts of primitive looms which are about 7,000 years old have been identified from Hemudu in Zhejiang province. Silkworms produce a silk filament to form a cocoon, which can create 300–1,000 metres of silk fibre. This fibre can then be woven into yarn. Imperial textile production centres in the Ming dynasty were located in the Yangzi Delta cities of Suzhou, Wuxi, Huzhou and Songjiang in Jiangsu province. There was also a silk workshop in Beijing, which wove satins and tabbies for imperial use, and a workshop in the north-east corner of the palace compound which made religious offerings and presentation silks. The scale of these workshops was impressive. The Nanjing weaving and dyeing bureau had 300 looms and 3,000 workers, with an additional workshop for ceremonial robes that had 40 looms and 1,200 staff. Silk was originally only reserved for Chinese emperors for their own use and for gifts to others. The use of silk gradually began to spread through Chinese culture and trade, and then to many regions of Asia. This silk ‘dragon robe’ belonged to Zhu Tan, Prince Huang of Lu. He was buried with this silk costume and six other ‘dragon’ robes. The upper sleeves are integral to the bodice, which is tight fitting with a side fastening, and it has a full, pleated skirt. Research has shown that this silk outfit would have been bright yellow when new, with paler yellow rising dragons woven through in a raised pattern on the front, back and shoulders. Yellow silk was reserved for the imperial family to wear. The prince’s undergarments would probably have been made of cotton. Cotton, mulberry (on which silk worms fed) and tea were the main cash crops of the early Ming. Both Chinese and Korean court dress were influenced by Yuan dynasty formal costume. Later in the 15th century Ming fashion was taken up at the Korean court, as evidenced by this magnificent full-skirted male Korean courtier’s silk robe (cheollik), which closely parallels the construction of the Ming prince’s silk robe with its smocked waist and tight-fitting sleeves. Korean silk gowns were also worn in the Ming imperial court from 1400 to the 1430s. Textiles were one of the most important commodities exchanged with the rest of Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and trade along the Silk Route was at its most rigorous during the Tang dynasty (AD 618–906). However, there is little physical evidence left of the international trade that occurred during the Ming dynasty. Most of the goods that the Chinese brought back from their travels have disappeared – gold was turned into bracelets, for example, and spices into food. Much of what the Chinese carried abroad to trade, such as silk fabric, has also disappeared, but fragments of exports have survived through repurposing. Chinese silk, for instance, could be used as backing for banners or armour. This section of a tunic is part of a group of Chinese silks that came from the medieval urban centre of Fustat in Egypt. The pattern of this silk consists of circular medallions with the stylised Chinese character shou, meaning ‘longevity’, and a motif of a flaming jewel that fills the spaces in between the medallions. Small-scale motifs were favoured in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Such textiles were exported to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, and were used in royal and religious contexts. The colours would have been bright, and the material soft to the touch, with a glossy sheen and delicate pattern. Damasks were often later embroidered in the West. This example of yellow damask has a design of trailing flowers against a diamond background. These small motifs seem to have been popular in Ming China for clothing and book covers, but they were also exported to Europe and used in Christian church treasuries as vestments and to wrap relics. This example is believed to have been found in Cairo. Another use for silk in China was as a canvas for painting. This exquisite handscroll was painting on silk with ink and colours. Silk robe. Nanjing, c. 1389. Shandong Museum, excavated from the tomb of Zhu Tan, Prince Huang of Lu at Yanzhou, Shandong province. Silk robe. Korea, c. 1450–1524. National Folk Museum of Korea, Seoul. Silk damask. Nanjing, Suzhou or Hangzhou. 1300–1450. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Silk damask. Nanjing, Suzhou or Hangzhou. 1320–1450. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 07:48:52 +0000
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