2010.3.39.1

Collection type

Object

Description

Silk paper apron.

Long description

Silk paper apron. The apron consists of a base cloth of hand-woven cotton dyed a very dark indigo, onto which a rectangular block of decoration made from silk paper has been sewn. The silk paper has been made from silk fibres, felted together to form silk paper. The pattern on the front of the apron is made from red, green, yellow and purple silk paper cut work embroidered with stitching held in place with black horse hair. The pattern consists of repeated geometric and concentric patterns. The bottom edge of the apron has been decorated with lengths of silk paper fringing in red, white, green, yellow, black and purple silk yarn. The fringing has been tied to a lattice of black cotton yarn warp threads bound with two single rows of folded, wafer-thin, malleable pieces of silver metal. At the top of the apron are two straps made from woven braid.

Geographical reference

China

Asia > Eastern Asia > China

Cultural groups

Hmong

Person

Maker Unknown Maker

Field collector Wendy Black

PRM source Wendy Black

Date

Date collected

September 1995

Acquisition information

Donated: 19/01/2010

Materials and processes

Material Silk Textile Animal, Material Animal Hair, Material Metal, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Textile Plant, Process Stitched, Process Appliqué, Process Cutwork, Process Dyed, Process Embroidered

Dimensions

Width: max 490 mm, Length: max 525 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 2010.3.39.1 Other numbers: 68

Research and responses

See pages 58-59 of "Miao Textiles from China" by Gina Corrigan, British Museum Press, 2001 for an almost identical silk festive apron also from Kaili city area, Qiandongnan perfecture. [FC 07/10/2010]

Search terms: Clothing Textile, Clothing, Apron, Textile