Goldwork Embroidery Chinese Style: An Illustrated Stitch Guide - Softcover

Chen, Daiyu

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1938368657 ISBN 13: 9781938368653

Verlag: SCPG Publishing Corporation, 2022

Inhaltsangabe

Goldwork embroidery is a traditional Chinese embroidery technique that was originally used in the court or palaces and was exclusive to nobility in ancient times. Similar embroidery techniques were used in Central Asia and Europe in ancient times as well. Today, this sort of technique, characterized by its diversity of thread textures, variety of techniques, unique three-dimensional shape, and ability to blend other embroidery styles, is familiar to and admired by embroidery enthusiasts all over the world.Through her practice in embroidery over the past two decades, Chen Daiyu has simultaneously studied both Chinese and European embroidery. Her work is unique in that it combines the beauty of both forms, making it uniquely original. In this book, she draws inspiration from elements of traditional Chinese painting, combining traditional Chinese silk embroidery with European goldwork embroidery to create stunning, elegant works with a unique Chinese aesthetic appeal. This volume combines images and text, taking the reader systematically through the world of goldwork embroidery with a step-by-step guide.

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Chen Daiyu graduated from the Design Art Department of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and holds a master’s degree from the University of the Arts in London. The focus of her current research is the contemporary application of embroidery. After attending the Royal College of Embroidery to study embroidery techniques, she founded the Daiyu Embroidery Studio and became an independent embroidery artist. She excels at goldwork embroidery, wool embroidery, blackwork embroidery, whitework embroidery, canvas embroidery, and the application of embroidery to the field of jewelry design.

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Goldwork Embroidery Chinese Style (excerpt)
There are many different types of embroidery, including silk shading, whitework, blackwork, silk ribbon, and crewelwork. Among these types, goldwork embroidery is unique in that it is based on padding and stacking. It is distinctive due to its richness and variety of threads, its versatility of expression, its stacked three-dimensional shapes, and its high degree of integration with many other types of embroidery.
            Goldwork embroidery has a long history in China as a traditional craft, originally serving the imperial palaces and temples. The exact date of its origin is unknown in historical records, but it can be inferred from excavated artefacts that embroidery on clothing became a marker of social class from the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). During the Tang dynasty (617–907), it developed considerably. Religious embroidery arose, such as scriptures and Buddhist statues. Working with gold thread instead of silk thread gradually became popular. In 1987, five miniature garments with cluster goldwork embroidery (an elaborate technique in which gold and silk threads are wound into patterns and then fixed onto silk) on crimson silk fabrics from the Tang dynasty were excavated from the underground palace at the Famen Temple in Shaanxi Province (Fig.?). The twisted gold threads used in these artefacts were made from a core of silk, which was wound with fine gold foil wire at 3,000 loops per meter (Fig.?). According to historical records, embroidery in the Tang dynasty already consisted of gold and silver embellished with beads. The color shading technique was also extremely advanced, using gold and silver threads to coil the outlines of the patterns—an innovation of that era.
          During the same period, Chao embroidery was developed in the Chaozhou area of Guangdong Province, also featuring goldwork. This is one of two important branches of Chinese goldwork embroidery, the other being the gold- and silver-colored embroidery of Ningbo. The latter uses mostly gold and silver metal threads and is plain and elegant, while the Chaozhou style favors multiple colors and is highly vivid (Fig.?). Since Chaozhou embroidery is more exceptional in general, the following section focuses on its techniques and history as a reference. According to Huang Yanfan in his book Chao Embroidery—which systematically and comprehensively records and describes the history of the style and its specific application of stitches—it was originally a branch of Guangdong embroidery, but due to its geographical and humanistic characteristics, it became more decorative, complex, and vivid. Unlike Su and Xiang embroideries, which favor humanistic depictions, it is more often based on themes of daily life, giving it a strong sense of worldliness. It has a free and spontaneous composition, and is very dramatic. Chaozhou embroidery is also based on characters from the theatre and mythological themes, and its style can be traced to the same origin as Chaozhou gold lacquer wood carvings (Fig.?). Chaozhou goldwork embroidery gradually separated from other traditional styles in terms of the development of its padding techniques and the application and innovation of gold threads, and eventually became a school of its own.
          The Song and Ming dynasties were periods of refinement, improvement, and development for Chaozhou embroidery, particularly for goldwork. During the Ming era, Chaozhou clans were particularly active. Ancestral halls and temples were built, Chaozhou opera emerged, and conventions such as village and clan-based contests and folk god tours (when statues were taken from temples and paraded around) prevailed. Thus, Chaozhou embroidery was widely used in folk activities, temple decorations, and opera costumes, and began to flourish. Embroidery workshops spread all over, forming an area specializing in its production. In addition to meeting the needs of local and surrounding areas, embroidery products began to be exported to Europe and Southeast Asia. As a result, Chinese embroidery became famous throughout the world.
          On its way from China to Europe via the Silk Road, goldwork embroidery underwent significant developments in India, particularly in terms of the materials and innovation of techniques. This is why goldwork embroidery was later far superior in India than in other countries. Today, the technique has taken root in many countries.
The categories of stitches used in Chaozhou goldwork embroidery are intricately subdivided, from dragon scales and crane heads to rocks and twigs. All have detailed and specific stitches for their own use. For example, the scales on a dragon can be subdivided into five types of embroidery, as can be seen in the breakdown of embroidery types and stitches in Huang’s Chao Embroidery. Even though some of the old stitches have been lost or were never officially named, there are still more than a hundred types in existence. Many of those mentioned in the book can be found in Western goldwork embroidery under their corresponding names, e.g. padding, circle, and brick.
          In terms of color, Chaozhou goldwork embroidery is lively, while its Western equivalent is noble, elegant, and somewhat solemn (this is consistent with the goldwork embroidery used on Chinese imperial robes). Although both are used in religious contexts, Western religious items tend to be embroidered with symmetrical emblems or sacred figures, such as Jesus (Fig.?), whereas Chinese (Chaozhou) goldwork embroidery is much richer in content, as mentioned above, with fictional folk figures and domestic wares, in addition to motifs such as dragons and phoenixes, flowers, and birds.
          It is worth mentioning that although the Chinese goldwork embroidery technique seen in Chaozhou embroidery is rich, colorful, and varied, it did not promote the development of gold thread, and was confined for many years to the use of coiled/circled gold threads. However, as goldwork embroidery evolved from Asia to Europe, different types of thread were developed, such as pearl purl, wire check, and bright check. It was this variation in threads that gave rise to the infinite variety of goldwork embroidery techniques. With the fruitful results of these new techniques, it does not really matter where a type of embroidery or craft originates from, but rather how it is disseminated and developed. It is only through constant innovation that creativity can be advanced. With new creations come change and development. It is with change and development that the craft can survive.
          Both in China and the West, goldwork embroidery has its roots in the court and religious rituals. Because of the shiny and brilliant nature of the raw material, it can easily become vulgar if care is not taken in the color scheme and subject matter. In designing the pieces in this book, I have paid particular attention to the even distribution of the gold, silver, and copper threads across the embroidery, so as to achieve elegance without vulgarity. In addition, this book illustrates the combination of Chinese and Western goldwork embroidery techniques and the application of different materials to embroider common motifs from traditional Chinese paintings, such as orchids, birds, and peaches. The pieces are dedicated to the integration of the “elegance” of Chinese embroidery and painting (Fig.?) with the “brilliance” of Western goldwork, in the hope of recreating the world of Chinese flowers, plants, fish, and insects, and allowing the cultures of Chinese and Western goldwork embroidery to interact and learn from one...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: SCPG Publishing Corporation
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2022
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1938368657
• ISBN 13: 9781938368653
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 124
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: preigu; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; 49078; Deutschland