China's Handmade Embroidery - Embroidered Silk Visual Art

Hisotry of Chinese Handmade Embroideryfiber feel to it because it is a mix. It is not pure silk.
Chinese handmade silk embroidery is highly collectible.
China has always been famous for its silk and itsThere are many collectors in Germany, the rest of
handmade silk embroidery. For millennia, the renownedEurope, the USA, Japan, Africa and in other countries,
"Silk Road" brought Chinese silk and embroidery tousually the affluent art aficionados all over the world.
Central Asia, Western Asia, Europe and Africa. TheThe embroidered silk is truly representative of Chinese
silk trade created exchanges between China, India,art.
Greece and Rome and acted as a link between theseAuthentic antique silk embroidered visual art sells for
four ancient civilizations.anywhere between $35,000 and $125,000, and is an
Since the earliest fabric samples of 3000 B.C. Peopleexcellent investment as their prices continue to rise.
in China realise that human beings have wanted toOver the long term (hundreds of years) the value has
enliven their surroundings clothing, toiletries and linens byincreased by as much as 50 times. These pieces are
adding hand work of some kind over the wovenon display in museums and exist in private collections
fabrics.and become available for sale in much the same way
Different areas of the devised their own peculiarany antique art does: dealers, auctions and so on, with
styles. The type of thread, colors, motifs andthe usual problems of verifying authenticity and
presentation of each area and style are unique. Eachprovenance.
region had a few stitches unique to their style. TheBut machine embroidery may have become common
motifs were related to nature and religion andthese days and perhaps more economical but
everyday life of people.theuniqueness, variety, intricacy, art and fineness of
Religious embroideries spanned the breadth of the agehand embroidery is unmatched and as yet
of the many religious organizations and royal courts.unchallenged. Today you can also buy modern, hand
Handmade Embroidery art had patrons just like otherembroidered silk of the type that is being produced.
art forms. These embroideries include gold threads orThis varies greatly in quality. At one extreme there is
zardosi, chikankari, kasuti and kashmiri.ordinary handmade silk embroidery which you can buy
Chikankari is said to have a Turkish impression thoughfor as little as $100 for a piece. Then there is high
it is mentioned in the records of Megasthenes in 3rdquality, classical embroidered silk being produced at
century B.C. Kashmiri embroidery is colorful withhigher prices. These pieces tend to sell at auction and
symbols like chinar leaf, apple blossom, lily, the saffrontherefore the prices can go very high and be
flower and the fauna of the region. Phulkari has brightlysomewhat unpredictable.
colored flowers on coarse cotton. Beadwork andA Special Kind of Chinese Handmade Embroidery -
Zardosi are Mughal introductions where as mirror workChinese Double Sided Embroidery
is typical to Gujarat and Rajasthan. Kantha'
Embroidery of Bengal makes imaginative use ofThe double sided embroidery is a technique in which
waste rugs and Kasuti is famous for religious themes.stitching takes place on both sides of a single
- Styles of Chinese Silk Embroidery Arttransparent silk fabric. The design shows on both sides
(front and reverse). Such a piece is normally mounted
There are several different levels of Chineseon a wooden frame as a screen, one really can't tell
embroidered silk visual art:which side is the front or the back.
• Antique (all handmade obviously)Most of the double sided embroideries, almost all,
• High quality, classical handmadepeople see in shops have the same images on both
• Ordinary quality handmadesides. However there are a few double sided
• Machine madeembroideries that have two different images on both
As corresponding, Suzhou embroidery (Su embroiderysides. It's a mystery and secret how this kind of works
for short), Hunan embroidery (Xiang embroidery forare made.
short), Sichuan embroidery (Shu embroidery for short)Fine Works of Chinese Handmade Embroidery
and Guangdong embroidery (Yue embroidery forPeople from different countries have different tastes.
short) are the four most famous styles of embroideryA silk handmade embroidery popular in one country is
in China.not necessarily popular in another country. But there
The city of Suhou is the center of the Chineseare some silk embroideries that seem almost
handmade embroidered silk visual art. From there theeveryone likes them.
silk industry spreads west to other cities including
Suzhou and it extends to Shanghai, Wuxi, etc. and nowHave you ever seen such a beautiful painting on a
includes Beijing, Guangxi, Guangdong. Shenzhen,piece of silk satin? Just imagine embroidering such a
Zhejiang, Shanxi, Shandong, Hubei, Anhui and otherdelicate figure with threads and needles! But such
places.exquisite embroidery has been one of China's most
Merits of Chinese Handmade Embroideryfamous art forms for many centuries, and four main
schools of embroidery have established with their
Handmade classical silk embroidery is alive. The highunique techniques.
quality work looks lifelike. It's been created with loving
care by an individual artist. These people are mastersPicture: The Chinese Art of Painting with Silk Threads
of their trade.Remark: Clever photographer, Nancy Fox, recently
They have incredible skill and their work is stunninglyreturned from a tour of mainland China. A visit to an
beautiful. But it looks alive. The machine made versionsembroidery factory in Suzhou was high on her list of
look stiff and unnatural. It's quite easily distinguishable.places to see. She was not disappointed. When she
Handmade embroidery is done with pure silk thread. Itarrived, the artists were hard at work producing these
has an exquisite, glossy feel to it. Real silk thread willpaintings. They readily consented to let Nancy
break when used in a sewing machine. So the threadphotograph them while they worked.
that is used in a machine is thicker and has an artificial