St. Louis Art Museum 112: 1989
Gift of Julius A Gordon and Ilene Gordon Wittels in memory of Rose Gordon |
Historically, this may have
developed out of another tradition where a new mother was given small pieces of
silk and embroidery so she could make a jacket for the child. The resulting bai jia yi or “hundred
families’ jacket” symbolized the community of people that wished the child love
and blessings and protection from evil. Above is an example of a bai jia yi from the collections of the Saint Louis Art Museum.
- Cindy DeLong
In search of meaning...
Maonan women often made bed coverings to commemorate their impending marriage. This maker was clearly focused on assuring that every piece of fabric placed in this project had spiritual meaning. Look closely at every detail of this piece and you might get a glimpse of what was on going through her mind as she planned, stitched and finished this utilitarian object for her new home.
Maonan women often made bed coverings to commemorate their impending marriage. This maker was clearly focused on assuring that every piece of fabric placed in this project had spiritual meaning. Look closely at every detail of this piece and you might get a glimpse of what was on going through her mind as she planned, stitched and finished this utilitarian object for her new home.
What were her questions? Was she thinking about her betrothed? Was she thinking
about the love they shared or had she even met her soon to be husband? She may
have wondered, if their marriage, like her quilt top, would be filled with
happiness, prosperity, fertility (perhaps many sons), longevity or even
immorality? Can we even begin to know the wishes and hopes of her spirit as she
begins this new phase of life?
Oh, the mysteries of finding meaning in quilts.
Oh, the mysteries of finding meaning in quilts.
- Dottie Evans
I have been looking into the similarities and differences
between the IQSCM's ceremonial robe worn by the Yi people (see picture from Day
One) and a Buddhist priest's robe. First, the visual differences are striking.
Both have a large wingspan and similar silhouettes, yet the ceremonial robe is
pieced and appliqued while the priest's robe is primarily embroidered. The
priest's robe is also filled with Buddhist symbols, dragons, and other
auspicious symbols.
While this robe is from China, not Tibet, the ceremonial
robe seems to be a close relation to Tibetan textiles to the Yi people's
textiles. The people of Tibet are staunch Buddhists, compared to the Yi people,
who are primarily Animists, not Buddhists. The Yi people moved from Tibet into
the Chinese Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, leading me to believe that there could
have been a transmission of ideas and influences between these two groups.
Here you can see a Buddhist priest robe in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. And here is one from the Brooklyn Museum of Art
- Amanda Lensch
At
the end of my study of the black silk waistcoat, I wondered if there were
others in existence either by the same maker or other maker(s). It was
suggested that I count the stitches per inch so that the quilting could
hypothetically be compared with other like jackets. Here is a quilted robe from the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art -- I wish I could compare it to that one.
Quilted robe from the Hong Kong Museum of Art |
There are 6-7 stitches
per inch on the subject waistcoat. The black quilting could not be photographed
against the black silk.
- Anna
Rolapp
My baby carrier has now been observed, compared with other
Chinese carriers, and researched, using books and web sources. However, it
looks new, not used. Did the maker never marry? Did the baby die young? Or did
the person bringing the carrier to Nebraska buy it at a market? Was it made for
the tourist trade? I want a happy ending.
- Ruth Walker