Catalog (173)

Tradition Lotus shaped Chinese silk pillow Fret pattern Embroidered background with dragons and other creatures using both satin stitch and couching with gold metallic covered thread.... Some fading and some wear around the edge... roughly 8 x 14 inches A note on displaying textiles… When framing Chinese textiles….do not allow your framer to glue the textile to any kind of backing board… Instead have the textile basted (sewn) to a piece of complimentary background fabric…and the...

Traditional Manchu style Qing Dynasty embroidered silk vest..Original drop buttons and loop closures... stunning ...fits small woman...a few hard to find light stains.

This pair of black silk lotus shoes date to the late Qing Dynasty. Back then, a woman's job was to make shoes for the members of her family. This woman was from a financially comfortable family with servants to do other household chores. Making this pair for herself, she choose a black silk satin fabric for the vamp and made an elegantly sloping sole which would accommodate separate inter changeable heels to be attached. She did very fine needlework on the floral embroidery on each side o...

This embroidery panel was originally the front bodice of a dress...Hand embroidered over several layers of heavy fabric and using mirrors and silver and gold metallic threads...this dress bodice was a show piece probably used only for important occasions i.e. weddings etc. Very ornately embroidered, this panel measures 19 x 22 inches. the picture of the back side of the bodice indicates serious wear and age...

This Miao woman's jacket has hand embroiled detail collar, front lapel, and sleeve bands...background fabric of the body of the jacket feels like rayon but maybe silk...sleeves are heavy cotton... there is small hole 1/2 inch (looks like cigarette) on the back left side roughly 2-3 inches from hem... this jacket will fit a small woman... this style of woman's jacket is from the shidong area of Tia jiang. see drawing on page 55 According to the book "Clothing and Ornaments of China's Miao...

According to my Miao friends, these coin purses were often made by a girl as a gift to a prospective boyfriend...and depending on where and how he wore the purse, it would indicate his feeling for her... they can be sold separately or in multiples 1 piece  $175 plus shipping  2 pieces $325 plus shipping 3 pieces $450 plus shipping 4 pieces $525 plus shipping

Large Chinese embroidery panel with all over pattern of multiple assorted butterflies...wedgewood blue silk crape fabric surrounded with embroidered border...entire piece is lined with red cotton fabric... measure roughly 27 x 80 inches

Rare Miao festival top from Lan Dian China 90+ years old covered with various embroidery techniques home spun fabric and in excellent condition

This late Qing Dynasty hat is in excellent condition. Made with silk fabric with silk thread satin stitch embroidery on both front and back, it has long tassels on each side.

Yes, contrary to Western myths, lotus shoes were worn by all classes of Han Chinese women.... This pair of Chinese peasants lotus shoes were made from scraps of blue indigo dyed cotton fabric Clearly they were well worn, which is part of the reason that peasant shoes are rare... They are from the southern part of China...just under 5 inches...

I was thrilled to acquire this rare Mongolian textile. Utilizing all couching embroidery technique on red wool fabric, it depicts 2 golden dragons chasing the sun. The condition of this piece is remarkably good condition for its age, showing 2 small areas of repair on the top corners. It measures 40" long by 18" from the top to the bottom tip of the tasseles

This small elaborate Buddhist monk's medicine bottle is sewn into a larger pouch of burgundy homespun wool fabric with yellow/gold silk lining. When worn, the stopper would be securely held in the bottle by a system of handmade cords and bands. The medicine bottle would be worn outside the robes and suspended on the Monk's belt. These were used for both travel and ceremonies.

This antique Chinese silk dragon court vest is couched with silk thread embroidery designs of dragons, birds, flowers, clouds etc. and accents of gold bouillion thread. Vest shows some minimal wear and is in overall good condition.

The vest dates to the mid 19th century and has a front rank badge with bird facing the wearers left shoulder. This indicates that the original owner was the wife of a civil official. The bird on this rank badge is a made of matching embroidery and fabric sepa...

This Shui childs hat is very heavily and intricately embroidered using wrapped cotton thread. The base background blue and black fabric has a subtle pattern which takes extra care and attention while weaving on the loom. a series of silver ornamental "bubbles" further decorates the front lower border of the hat. Over 60 years old and in very good condition it will make a wonderful addition to any collection

A properly dressed Chinese woman would wear a pair of leggings that would cover her foot bindings from her lower leg to the top of her lotus shoes. The leggings would be tied into place with a hand woven sash made specifically for that purpose. These lotus shoe accessories are now rare and very hard to find.

This pair of silk sashes were were woven with a floral pattern using 2 colors of brightly contrasting threads. The long warp end threads are braided into tassels. This pair is in excelle...

The Zhuang are one of the larger of the Chinese Ethnic Minority groups. This is a rare old baby carrier from Yunnan Province. Because silk was not readily available in the rural areas, the use of silk as the background fabric indicates that this carrier came from a wealthy family. The central panel uses several colors of fabric appliqued into a large stylized lotus flower. Silk thread is used for the delicate satin stitched embroidery of butterflies and flowers. The upper border uses multip...

This baby carrier is from the Miao ethnic minority of Qui Yang. Characteristic of the antique Miao baby carriers from this area, the surface decoration is composed of very tiny cross stitches which form geometric embroidery pattern which, to Western eyes, resemble snowflakes. Because of the time required to produce and the attractive appearance of this style baby carrier, they were used mostly for festivals and are now highly prized by both Westerners and Chinese.

This baby carriers is in ...

These Chinese woman's Lotus shoes are from Shanxi province and are from the mid 1800's. In Chinese culture, to have, wear or use something from an ancestor (parent, grandparent,etc) was considered as a talisman and gave an element of protection to the user. This pair of lotus shoes was passed to a younger generation whose embroidery skills were, well, not as advanced as the original maker. But clearly the child left her mark on the shoes with the added embroidery of the birds etc.