Technical Thinking on Chinese Embroidered Paintings

Abstract

In the history of Chinese embroidery, Gu’s Embroidery in the late Ming Dynasty and Ding Pei’s Principles of Embroidery can be considered the pinnacle of embroidered painting’s practice and texts. Nowadays, there are many studies of the unique position and artistic value of “embroidered painting.” It is in this context that this paper offers a particular consideration of the technical aspects of embroidered painting in the Ming and Qing dynasties. With a series of specific questions, this paper is designed to examine embroidered painting from the perspective of stitching technique and gender, as well as its dual status as both an independent art form and a stitching technique. However, due to its nature as a women-exclusive art, embroidery suffered discriminatory treatment and was unable to acquire its privileged status in a male-dominated imperial society. As a result, embroidered painting had to win discourse power by not emphasizing its sophisticated technique.

Keywords:

• embroidery
• embroidered painting
• technique
• female virtues

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Apart from words that appeared directly on embroideries, there were other literary essays with direct mentioning of Gu’s embroidery, including Ye Mengzhu’s Yueshibian (阅世编, Reading the World), Wu Ljuzhen’s Wurongzhiyi Suibi (五茸志逸随笔, Essays by Wurongzhiyi), Li Yanshi’s Nanwu Jiuhualu (南吴旧话录, Collection of Old Stories in Nanwu), Mao Xiaolin’s Moyulu (墨余录, Collection of Moyu) and Dengzhicheng’s Gudong Suiji (骨董琐记, Antiques Trivia)

2 Zhu Qiqian’s Memoirist of Needlecrafts (女红传征略), Embroidery Notes (丝绣笔记) and Embroidery Collection by Cunsu Hall (存素堂丝绣录) all mentioned Gu’s embroidery.

3 Bai Fulan’s Technology and Gender and Technology-Gender-History both state that production and technological activities carried out by women were still an integral part of social order within the imperial society after the Song Dynasty.

4 Huang Yifen believes that Gu embroidery has become an expensive commodity around 1614, pushing the commercialization of Gu embroidery to the early 17th century. Symposium on Works of the Gu's Embroidery, 37

5 According to historic records, the Ningxiang Xiupu, 凝香绣谱 written by Ni Renji around the late Ming and early Qing dynasties was the first monograph on embroidery in China, at least 140 years earlier than the Principles of Embroidery, but unfortunately it was lost (Qiqian 2013, 165).

6 There are no less than 15 comparisons of embroidery to painting, calligraphy, writing, reading, poetry, musical instrument, music, and archery in the Principles of Embroidery.

7 The Painting of Dongshan, an early work of Gu's embroidery, was a gift from Dong Qichang's son to Censor-in-chief Xiao'e, asking him to serve public office for the people.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xu Jia

Xu Jia is a writer, curator and artist. She got a B Arch Degree in Tongji University, 2008 and a PhD degree of art history in China Academy of Art, 2016. She once studied in Rhode Island School of Design and Goldsmiths, University of London. She is now teaching in the Fiber Art Department of China Academy of Art, Hanghou, P.R. China. She has been Regional Editor – China of TEXTILE from June 2021. [email protected]