Asian Textiles – Manchu Woman’s Summer Robe with Peonies, Chrysanthemums and butterflies (Jean Smith)
Green silk gauze weave embroidery on main body and borders, ribbon trimming
Chinese Late 19 c. or 190059
¾” x 61”
Gift of Mary V and Ralph E Hays,
1991.120.2
This robe is a narrow, more form fitting summer robe. The shape reflects western influence on high fashion at the turn of the century. The last Empress would invite the wives from the diplomatic and business sectors to tea so she could satisfy her curiosity about their clothing styles. The narrower, more form fitting cut of this of robe then evolved into the modern national dress of China, the qi pao, or Chang sam.
The main body of the robe is a light green gauze weave. It has a center seam front and back and there are no slits. The evenly spaced, well-defined openings between the warp and weft intersections make a convenient surface for embroidering. The gauze weave allows for air circulation. A bamboo corset might we worn underneath to hold their clothes away from their body for further comfort. The hollow ends could be stuffed with a sticky substance to trap fleas, etc.
The majority of designs are cross stitched. On the body of the robe the peonies and chrysanthemums are in pastel shades of lilac, light blue, pink, rose , pale grey greenish blue, lilac and purple.. The stamens of the flowers are made with Peking knots. The butterflies are in shades of pastel pinks, medium blue. On the border, they are also of green, gold and white. Their antlers are in outline stitch. Satin weave is used for the black borders with cross stitched designs . The dull gold ribbons are woven in satin weave with the design in supplementary weft satin stitch. The antlers of the butterflies are in outline stitch.
The sleeves are separate pieces made up of cross stitched green gauze, dull gold satin weave ribbon with supplementary wefts , black border with cross stitch designs and a pale yellow cuff which is lined on the inside with pale gold silk. Because the sleeve is folded back so far, they are shorter than most of the other robes in our collection.. Note that they are meant to be folded like this because the right sides of all the pieces show.
The border and ribbons are appliqued onto the neck, sleeves and hem with meticulous attention. Note how smoothly they round the curve of the neckline. They and the cuffs would have been embroidered before cutting them out which prevents the shapes from distortion and stretching of the curved edges. The cuffs are detachable so that they can be cleaned, replaced or reused.
SYMBOLISM
Symbolism is an intrinsic part of the culture and all Chinese understand them just as the Victorians understood The Language of Flowers. The various symbols can be read individually or in groupings which can have different meanings. Chinese robes are billboards “advertising” rank, occasion and attributes the wearer hopes to acquire. On this robe, there are several different flowers, butterflies, the weave structure and color to consider.
Gauze is a summer fabric and the pale green signals summer. Butterflies signify happiness, long life and summer. Peonies stand for wealth, honor, love, affection and feminine beauty. While chrysanthemums area associated with autumn, here they mean a life of ease and joviality. Lilies help you forget your troubles and bring sons.
Peonies plus chrysanthemums stand for feminine beauty and prosperity. Butterflies and peonies say “may you have an accumulation of blessings/wealth/many sons. Green and butterflies signal happiness and fertility; summer, youth, beauty and happiness.
All and all this is a marriageable young woman of the upper class who hopes to be blessed with conjugal happiness (many sons) and lead a long, prosperous, noble upper class life with the ability to forget her troubles and have many sons! Her impeccable linage, schooling in manners, womanly arts and manners makes her a suitable wife for a man destined for a powerful position with the ability to transmit these qualities to their progeny. It’s easy to image the woman wearing his robe outside in the garden on a warm sunny day. Perhaps she is chasing butterflies or picking a flower to admire and smell.
MANCHU WOMEN’S DRESS:
As women did not hold public office, they enjoyed greater freedom of dress than did men. Both Manchu and the Chinese women were required to wear official formal dress during state ceremonies, but otherwise their attire was not subject to government regulations. As a result, the cut, color, and symbolic decoration of woman’s clothing was governed more by tradition – with regard to age, social status, wealth, season, and nature – and by fashion and personal taste.
Throughout the Qing dynasty, 1644-1911, women of Manchu origin continued to dress differently than women of the Han Chinese. In general, Manchu woman wore full-length gowns and overcoats while Han Chinese wore shorter, looser-fitting robes with wide sleeves over pleated skirts. However, there was a certain amount of borrowing on both sides, of styles and decorative motifs. Traditional Chinese decorations signifying wishes for happiness, long-life, and wealth, as well as seasonal motifs became the dominant decorations for Manchu gowns, especially in the latter part of the dynasty.
CHINESE AND MANCHU SHOES:
The Manchu women did not bind their feet like the Han (ethnic Chinese) women. The upper class Han women had small bound feet; 3 inches being the Ideal. These tiny “Golden Lilies” made it difficult to walk and gave the women a swaying gait that was considered charming and alluring. Not to be out done, the Manchu woman’ s shoe was of normal length but atop a stilt like platform. This was not very stable and gave them a swaying type of walk too. The normal sized top of the shoe was hidden by the hem so that it appeared as if they too had bound feet. This was also practical since it kept the bottom of the robe clean.
Needle skills were highly prized. Not only did the Han women decoratively embroider their shoes, they also constructed them. A prospective bride would send a sample pair of her shoes to her future mother-in-law. Her needle skills were evaluated, as well as the size of her feet. The smaller the better!
WEAVING:
Weaving is the interlacing of the warp and weft. All weaving has a vertical (warp) yarn that runs from top to bottom and ends in fringe and a horizontal (weft) yarn that passes from side to side, selvedge to selvedge. The way they interlace with each other determines the type of weave (surface appearance). This interlacing is what holds the fabric together. There are three types of binding systems: Plain, Twill and Satin.
PLAIN: Plain weave is the simplest; think potholders. Each side to side passage of weft passes over 1 warp and under 1 warp, etc. On the return passage, it is reversed so that the interlacing above and below is the opposite, i.e. under 1 warp, over 1 warp. If the warp is more closely spaced the fabric is warp-faced; if the weft is more closely spaced it is weft faced.
When the warp colors are different, longitudinal stripes result, i.e. 20 red, 10 white, 20 red, 10 white. Horizontal stripes result when the weft colors alternate. If both the warp and weft colors alternate, the fabric is a check. Plain weave is the easiest binding system and is ideal for printing (Miao Batik Baby carrier), painting (Pichhavais, oil paintings), or embroidery.
SATIN: Satin is a warp faced smooth fabric, more loosely bound than Plain or Twill weave. The weft passes over 1 warp then under 4(or more) warp, over I warp and under 4 warps. On the return the weft passes over 1 warp and under 4 warps. This produces a fabric in which the top of the fabric is virtually all warp –faced and the fabric back is nearly all weft faced. This weave gives a smooth surface and has a high sheen because of the long vertical floats and few interlacings. The weft yarn might be cotton to strengthen the fabric and reduce the cost per yard.
TWILL: Twill is a weft faced fabric with a one warp diagonal pattern. The first row of weft goes over 2 warps, under 1, over 2 (or 3-4), under 1 across the fabric. The return is the same sequence but the stitches are staggered so that the under 1 warp stitches make a raised diagonal. When a weft goes over or under more than one warp it is called floating. Denim, like the original Levi denim, Harris tweed, tartan, and herringbone are Twill weaves.
GAUZE: Gauze involves the twining or twining and twisting of a pair of warps around the weft. Pairs of weft can also be twined or twined and twisted around a warp. The pairs can be the same or of two different yarns; the second yarn is called a doup. The warp or weft can be of different weights. It is time-consuming process and before the Draw Loom (pioneered by the Chinese) it was done by hand and needed two people. This results in spaces between the rows of paired warps (or wefts). The process for warp or weft twining consists of a pair of warps (or wefts) to be twined around the intersecting yarns before and after. If the weave twines and twists before and after the intersection, the main warp will always go over (or right of) the intersection and the doup yarn will always be under (or left) of the intersection.
DAMASK: Damask was first woven in China and via the Silk Road, arriving in Damascus (hence the name). From Damascus, it spread to Europe through contact with Europeans and the Crusaders. Damask and Brocade are relate patterns of weaving. Both exploit the play of light. The long floats of warp and weft create a pattern because of the subtle contrast in the way the light catches the long floats verses the shorter interlacing stitches. Damask is self-patterned; warp and weft are the same color and weight and depend on the play of light on the long floats which can be up to 8 wefts. It is a reversible, positive and negative image.