Chinese Embroidered Sleeveband with Peonies and Chrysanthemums
OwnerOwned by
James Cromar Watt
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1862 - 1940)
DateQing Dynasty, 19th century
Object NameSleeveband
Mediumsilk, silk thread and metal thread
ClassificationsTextiles
DimensionsHeight: 75.5cm
Width: 11cm
Width: 11cm
AcquisitionJames Cromar Watt Bequest, 1941.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS089835
About MeA single ivory silk sleeveband from a Chinese robe, which has been embroidered with silk and metallic threads. The band features various flowers, mainly peonies and chrysanthemums. These are sacred flowers within Chinese culture, with peonies representing royalty, virtue and honour and chrysanthemums longevity. Also featured are butterflies, which symbolise joy.
The needlework is particularly fine in this example, which has been sewn with a number of stitches, including couching and the Peking Knot. (Peking is now Beijing).
Knotted stitches are used extensively in Chinese embroidery. The Peking Knot is also known as the Forbidden Knot. It was so called, according to legend, because it was forbidden for young girls to work the stitch as it might cause eyestrain, ruining their futures as needlewomen.
As trade with the West increased during the late 19th and early 20th centuries many Chinese people rejected traditional dress for Western fashions. Pieces of embroidery like this sleevband would have been detached from the main garment and sold to collectors.
James Cromar Watt
Qing Dynasty, 19th century
James Cromar Watt
Qing Dynasty, 19th century
possibly early 20th Century
Qing Dynasty, 19th century
James Cromar Watt
Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period (early 19th Century)
