Translation of Medium: Kesi Meets Painting

2008

Pictorial silk tapestry, or kesi, was produced in China beginning in the tenth century as a method of weaving that allowed for designs that were independent of loom controlled patterning. When Chinese weavers adopted the technique, they expanded its design repertoire from overall patterning to a means of creating pictures, and typically chose similar subjects to those of court paintings, sometimes copying directly from them. In kesi, the conventions of depiction in painting and tapestry met, and the process of translation from one to the other gave rise to a new mode of expression. Tapestry method represents a serious challenge for the process of translating from a medium that is not constrained by a structure, and the investment of time and material to produce kesi strongly suggests that its creation was not undertaken lightly. Its use by the imperial court as gifts to courtiers and for diplomatic purposes demonstrates that kesi functioned as a valuable form of social currency and ...

Renaissance Studies, 2015

Studies in the Decorative Arts, 2006

Favourite fabrics from the Katoen Natie textile collection, 2017

In this liber amicorum for Antoine De Moor, I dedicated this paper to a magnificent sampler housed at the Phoebus Foundation, formerly known as Katoen Natie Collection, Antwerp. With the help of documentary papyrus texts from Egypt, we learn about the system of apprenticeship, in other words, how ancient weavers became masters. It is a case study, where we can confront preserved textiles with the evidence from written sources.

The Chinese silk tapestry called kesi represents a traditional method of weaving with distinguished visual effects. Based on ancient Near East weaving techniques it developed in China during the late first millennium into a unique and highly appreciated applied art. Kesi tapestry was woven with small bobbins on frames. It resembled embroidery, but it is distinguished by its typical aesthetic appeal, its delicacy and timeconsuming labour of the weaver. Its use ranged from decorative hangings to men's and women's clothing. The kesi hangings functioned visually as paintings. Its aesthetic and social meaning merged with that of painting. Examples of the Chinese silk tapestry from the late 19 th and the 20 th century in the Náprstek Museum show three technological and visual possibilities of the technique. A rank badge worn on a coat of a Chinese official during the late 19 th century, a 1920s-1930s dress of a fashionable lady, and a souvenir hanging from the second half of the 20 th century.

Textile History, 1989