Valance Item Number: Edz1275 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Black mbroidered white valance; vase motif at each end. Centre motif: fish, water plant, waves. Motif at Proper Right: hare, cloud forms, plant with bird, underlying tree branch form. Motif at Proper Left: duck, lotus branch, insects, abstract plant design, underlying tree branch form. Rosettes on fish, flowers , arrows on birds, vertical rows of dots on hare. Vase on Proper Right: linear body, double-bordered sprig decoration, sections of taoist mace behind. Vase on Proper Left: similar shape, insect decoration, balloon guitar behind. Both vases hold conventionalized flower forms. Embroidered border along bottom and sides of flower and zig-zag pattern.
History Of Use
Blue and white embroideries are part of a long domestic tradition. Designs vary geographically but are constant within generations of families except for minor individual variations. Often used to decorate the bed which traditionally played a focal part in household ritual particularly at the new year when all household spirits were honored. They are family made, by women, and family owned. These embroideries were of no local commercial value.
Cultural Context
utilitarian;household
Iconographic Meaning
Vase, maintenance of peace. Fish; wealth, abundance. Waves, abode of the gods. Hare, longevity. Clouds, fertility of the lands. Duck, felicity. Butterfly; joy, marital felicity. Lotus; summer, fruitfulness. Rosettes, luck. Mace, authority. Balloon guitar, the moon.
Item History
- Made in Chengdu, Sichuan, China before 1945
- Collected between 1932 and 1945
- Owned by Kathleen F. Spooner before April 25, 1979
- Received from Kathleen F. Spooner (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Donations Fund (Funding source) on April 25, 1979
What
- Name
- Valance
- Identification Number
- Edz1275
- Type of Item
- valance
- Material
- indigo dye and cotton fibre
- Manufacturing Technique
- woven, embroidered, stitched and dyed
- Overall
- height 33.0 cm, width 189.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Chinese
- Previous Owner
- Kathleen F. Spooner
- Received from
- Kathleen F. Spooner (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Donations Fund (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Chengdu, Sichuan, China
When
- Creation Date
- before 1945
- Collection Date
- between 1932 and 1945
- Ownership Date
- before April 25, 1979
- Acquisition Date
- on April 25, 1979
Other
- Item Classes
- textiles
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 0567/0050