Double dragon within pearl roundels, manufactured in Shuangliu between 7th and early 10th century, unearthed in 1959 from Tomb 221 at Astana Cemetery in Turpan, Chinese Turkestan.
Sichuan embroidery (traditional Chinese: 川繡; simplified Chinese: 川绣; pinyin: Chuān Xiù; Wade–Giles: Chʻuan-Hsiu) or Shu embroidery (蜀繡; 蜀绣; Shǔ Xiù; Shu-Hsiu), is a style of embroideryfolk art native to Sichuan and Chongqing, particularly renowned for its brocade fabrics known as Shu brocade (蜀錦; 蜀锦; Shǔ Jǐn; Shu-Chin). This technique of embroidery originates from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, during the time of the Ancient Kingdom of Shu (c. 1046 BC?–c. 316 BC).[2] An excavation of four tombs dating back to the Western Han dynasty (202 BC – 8 AD), on Mount Laoguan located in Tianhui Town, Chengdu, has confirmed the use of patterning looms for weaving warp-faced compounds in that period.[3]
Technique
A twill brocade and its fabric weave structure, 7th–10th century.
Sichuan embroidery is based on the use of coloured silk and satin cloth. It is marked by its even stitching and subtle colours. The general closeness of the stitches allows for embroidering intricate details. The designs of embroidery often featured animals, flowers, leaves, mountains, rivers, trees and human figures. These silk products were a combination of fine art and practical use, as it is used to decorate pillow cases, shoes, quilt covers, garments, and folding screens.[4]
Boar head within a pearl roundel, unearthed in 1959 from Tomb 325 at Astana Cemetery. Great similarity between this textile motif and a boar head from a mural at Balalyk Tepe suggests a strong Central Asian influence.[2]
Sichuan embroidery is one of the so-called "four great embroideries of China" along with Cantonese embroidery, Suzhou embroidery and Xiang embroidery. Throughout its history, Sichuan embroidery developed a quality of being smooth, bright, neat, and influenced by its own geographical environment, various customs and cultures, with significant foreign influences being Sasanian, Sogdian and Hellenistic during the 1st millennium.[5]
^ abcdeCheng, Si; Qiao, Hong (2022). "唐代蜀锦团窠纹的审美特征" [Aesthetic Characteristics of Tuanke (i.e. pearl roundel) Pattern of Shu Brocade in Tang Dynasty] (PDF). Progress in Textile Science & Technology (in Simplified Chinese). Chengdu: Sichuan Textile Science & Technology Intelligence Center; Sichuan Textile Engineering Academy. p. 56. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
^"凭什么说新疆、青海出土的锦,好多都是蜀锦?" [Why are most of the brocades unearthed in Xinjiang and Qinghai made in Sichuan?]. cdmuseum.com (in Simplified Chinese). December 2, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2023.