Chinese Embroidered Sleeveband with Flowers and Butterflies
OwnerOwned by
James Cromar Watt
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1862 - 1940)
DateQing Dynasty, 19th century
Object NameSleeveband
Mediumsilk, silk thread and metal thread
ClassificationsTextiles
DimensionsHeight: 96cm
Width: 10cm
Width: 10cm
AcquisitionJames Cromar Watt Bequest, 1941.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS089836
About MeA single mint coloured silk sleeveband from a Chinese, which has been embroidered with silk and metal 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 is the pine which symbolises longevity and the butterfly, which symbolises joy.
The needlework is particularly fine in this example, which has been sewn with a number of stitches, including satin stitch, 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 sleeveband 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, 18th - 19th century
