Georgia - Textiles

Artistically framed for display in a slight shadow frame with non-reflective pixie glass, these pair of embroidery art panels from Japan are dated circa 1910-1930s, end of Meiji to early Taisho period. This period was the peak of the Japanese oversea expositions, when all things Japonisme took Europe and America by storm and left long-lasting impact on western art and design. The influence, however, was clearly not one-directional; As when Japanese artists, artisans and dealers experienced western art, it in turn inspired and impacted on the aesthetics of the Japanese art made for the western tastes. An interesting crop of art forms quickly emerged with a particular outlook that bridged the east and west, with the fundamental techniques still rooted in Japanese traditions. These rare hyper-realistic embroidered portraits were such an example. They took the essential format of the western portrait that permeated the Victoria and Edwardian Society, but substituted with exotic Japanese subjects and executed in traditional embroidery techniques which had been perfected for centuries by the natives. The two portraits on offer, one an elder man with long white beards and a pair of round spectacles lighting a pipe, and the other a grinning man with a peasant attire, were both set in black background, stimulating an appearance of Classic western oil painting or perhaps even the photograph. The fine stiches were maneuvered into an impressively hyper-realistic imagery that was far removed from the traditional Japanese embroidery...

A beautiful Japanese textile art panel with an embroidered dragon on a swirling cloud background, nicely framed with a linen matt in an antique-fi...

Late 19th century Turkoman Yomut hand-knotted bag face. A bag face is the front panel of a bag woven by various nomadic tribes of the Middle East and Central Asia for utilitarian and...

A large piece of framed Japanese textile circa late 19th to early 20th century, end of Meiji period. Seamed together from four vertical sectio...

On offer is the last one of the set of seven framed Japanese textile art called Oshi-E circa Meiji Period (1868-1912). This rare set consists ...

A silk collar from China dated to late Qing Dynasty circa 19th century. Known as Yunjian (Cloud Shoulder or Cloud Collar), this multi-lobed textile piece was a detachable collar worn around the shoulders as part of the traditional Chinese garment accessory. With its origin dated back to the Han Dynasty and being used until the end of Qing Dynasty, the form evolves with time, but much of the ornamentation and fundamental symbolism remains the same. This striking example features a two-tiered design with eight lobes on each circle, all of which are variations of the shape of auspicious "ruyi", which represents the head of Lingzhi mushroom, a symbol of longevity. The inner lobes were made with appliqued patchwork of colorful silk. The outer lobes feature elaborate embroidery of assortment of colorful flowers, scrolling ribbons and butterfly, using mostly long and short satin stitches. The borders and outlines of the designs were lineated with metallic threads buddled in chain stitches. Small black pearls were used to link the piece together and most of them still remain. In Qing Dynasty, the silk collar with high quality was worn by noble or aristocratic women. The red color and the lotus boy symbol indicate that it was most likely part of the fashion accouterment worn during wedding ceremony. The collar is beautifully float mounted within a double conforming mat in a giltwood frame and wood backing. A stunningly presented period piece with story to tell. Reference: For a collection of Chinese embroidered collars...

A rare four-piece Japanese Fireman's assemble (Shobosho uniform) woven with heavy cotton and decorated with stencil resist dye circa 1890-20s Late Meiji to Showa Period. The assemble...

A finely embroidered Japanese silk Fukusa panel presented in a beautiful silk-lined giltwood frame (newly framed and glazed), circa late 19th century of Meiji Period. Fukusa is a traditional Japanese textile art used to wrap and present gifts at important occasions. Depending on the occasion, the panel itself can be a very fine textile art on its own. On the deep blue background, this elaborate textile art depicts an old couple standing on a bridge with three bystanders, flanked by pine trees with hills afar. The couple is Jotomba (Joo and Uba are their respective names), characters in the Legend of Takasago, one of the oldest Japanese mythologies, who are associated with old pines. The legend goes as: "At Takasago Shrine there is a very old pine tree, the trunk of which is bifurcated; in it dwells the spirit of the Maiden of Takasago who was seen once by the son of Izanagi who fell in love and wedded her. Both lived to a very great age, dying at the same hour on the same day, and since then their spirits abide in the tree, but on moonlight nights they return to human shape to revisit the scene of their earthly felicity and pursue their work of gathering pine needles. His pine tree is called “The Pine of Suminoe” while hers is "Takasago pine". In Japan, Takasago couple...

A fine matching pair of embroidered silk civil rank badge panels (known in Chinese as Buzi) unframed. The panels feature borders of fret archaic key a...

Qing Dynasty embroidered silk roundel depicting a profusion of irises. The flowers are embroidered in satin stitch in various shades of blue and ivory o...

A matted and framed Japanese silk panel with elaborate embroidery circa late Meiji to Taisho period (1910-30s). On a bright background, two rooster...

On offer is a set of five Japanese textile art panels called Oshi-E circa Meiji Period (1868-1912). This usual set of panels depict various aspects of daily life in Edo time with beautiful details. Some of these panels are snapshots of the buzzling commercial activities at the marketplace, providing insight into the signages, architecture, costumes and how people interacted within a historical and pictorial context. Other panels depict daily leisure activities such as lounging in the park or visiting friends. The realistic rendering and attention to details are not short of "photographic" quality. From the signage of the shops to the motions and attires of the individual characters, from the hairstyle, small ornaments, down to the facial expression, were all recorded in great details. Each panel was signed with the artist's name Yukihana in Kanji with a red seal. These panels are unframed and await your custom touch (framing with inner gilt spacer and mat costs about 250-500 depending on the material chosen, see a framed example in the last picture of a single framed panel we have for sale). We offer them for sale individually, but it will be great for a collector to consider the whole set so that they can stay together. The Oshi-E (also known as kiritori zaiku) is a type of ornamental textile art dated back to the Muromachi period (1392-1573). It started among the elite aristocratic women in Kyoto before spreading wider in the Japanese society. Throughout Edo and Meiji period, Oshi-E were sometimes used to make offerings to the altars in the temple and in the late 19th century, it was exported to the west along with the other embroidery textile art. Oshi-E was made by using silk wadding to create a relief design. Various silk fabric swaps and sometimes wires and tassels, often recycled from older kimonos...

Qing Dynasty brocade civil rank badge with silver pheasant, intended for the front of a child's robe. This badge, made for the child of a civil official of the fifth rank, most likely his eldest son, features a silver pheasant, which can be recognized by its five distinctive long, scalloped tail feathers. The bird, with one foot raised, stands on a rock surrounded by green waves and blue scrolling clouds, facing the red sun...

An lavishly decorated Turkish coat likely from the Ottoman Empire period circa 19th century, presented in a shadow box gilt frame with dark blue fabric lining. The jacket was made fr...

Probably one of the most beautiful batik textile designs from Indonesia, the wraparound skirt also known as Kain Panjang was an iconic design from Cirebon, North Coast of Java. The Cloud design...

A Japanese silk Fukusa panel circa late 19th-early 20th century of Meiji Period. The front was beautifully decorated with Yuzen-zome, a labor intensive resist-dye technique invested ...

A well-preserved Japanese fireman's hood (known as hikeshi zukin in Japanese) circa 1900s, late Meiji period. Woven with thick cotton with sashiko (co...

Probably one of the most beautiful batik textile designs from Indonesia, the wraparound skirt also known as Kain Panjang was an iconic design from Cirebon, North Coast of Java. The Cloud design...

This two-piece set of Chinese antique winter coat and a neck warmer ensemble circa 19th century (late Qing dynasty) is presented in two matching giltwood shadow boxes. Tailored in light auberge silk with thick padding, the attire was reserved for cold winter weather, which was common in Northern China. The surface is masterfully adorned with embroidery of silver threads. Although the color pallet was nearly minimalistic compared to many other colorful embroidery work at the time, the contrast of silver on auberge background is visually stunning and exudes a noble air of elegance. Floral and foliage motifs are showcased in neat arrangement across the coat and ocean waves and coral rocks...

A group of two antique textile fragments from China, circa 19th century Qing dynasty, professionally preserved and displayed in giltwood frame...

A set of three antique textile fragments from China, circa 19th century Qing dynasty, professionally displayed in matching giltwood frames as a triptych. Originally they were embroidered panels from semi-formal skirt...

Brightly colored pair of 19th century civil rank badges (buzi) decorated with peacocks, denoting a civil servant of the Third Rank. The badges are worked in satin stitch embroidery o...

Qing Dynasty silk embroidery civil rank badge with silver pheasant combined with peacock, 19th century. This badge is a hybrid, made up o...

An oversized and impressive cape worn during ceremonial dancing by Miao people (also known as Hmong in English) from Guizhou Province, China circa 1940s-1950s in a rarely intact and well-preserved condition. Miao people are diverse minority groups living in Southern China as well as Southeast Asia with complex sub-affiliations based on attires, languages, cultural customs and art tradition. They are renowned for their textile and silver craftsmanship as well as singing and dancing traditions. This cape, rather heavy in construction and striking in bold red and black, was made from wool, hemp and cotton. The surface showcases elongated diamond patterns in complementary woven wool and couched plaque on top of the cotton part. The pattern strikes the viewer with a strong sense of dignity and power. The heavy material and pattern are strangely akin to some of the Navajo weaving. The cape is in a form a jacket with long and wide sleeves, and it was meant to be used in ceremonial occasions. Our research reveals that the piece was from the Northwest Guizhou in an autonomous county called Weining. The area is of subtropical highland and the generally cold weather was reflected in the heavy materials used in this piece, in comparison with other textiles made in the warmer lowland. There is an older paper label with price tag in Chinese inside the cape. It was purchased in Guizhou decades ago by a US collection in MA. With a span of over 94 inches long, it makes a very impressive textile art piece for wall hanging. Not framed and easily shipping folded up. For a similar jacket from Weining, see "Miao Textile...