Valance Item Number: Edz1266 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Plain cloth with black and blue embroidered motif of two pheonixes on either side of a peony. Flowers, leaves, butterflies, ciccada and other insects on either side, and a bat on the left bottom corner. Raw edges. Some stenciling still visible.
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.
utilitarian;household
Peony; love, affection, prosperity. Phoenix; beauty, goodness, prosperity. Bee; industry, thrift. Butterfly; joy, conjugal felicity. Beetle; courage, summer.