清晚期 刺繡戲劇人物掛毯|Wall hanging with scene from an opera

Unknown

19th century · Silk and metallic thread embroidery on plain-weave wool with animal fibers · Asian Art

This wall hanging depicts a battle scene from an opera. A tangle of arms, legs, weapons, and costumes fills the visual space, bringing the drama of the battle to life, and the figures, enlarged to heroic scale, tower over the viewer. The textile makers used animal hair for the middle figure’s beard to add texture and three-dimensionality to the work. This banner might have hung on a stage to provide a background setting for an opera production, or perhaps it decorated another part of a theater.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Silk and metallic thread embroidery on plain-weave wool with animal fibers

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Fong Chow, 1959