Valance
Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1799
Medium
Top: cotton, plain weave; block printed; narrow band: silk, warp-float faced 5:1 satin weave with weft-float faced 1:2 'S' twill interlacings of secondary binding warps and supplementary patterning wefts; upper and lower panels: silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped silk, slit tapestry weave with interlaced outlining wefts; painted details; outer bands: silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped silk, dovetailed tapestry weave; ribbon: silk, plain weave with supplementary patterning warps; outer edging: silk, warp-float faced 4:1 satin weave; lined with cotton, plain weave; painted inscription
Dimensions
113.4 × 126 cm (44 3/4 × 49 5/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25306
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The inscription on the lining of this slit tapestry-woven valace...translates as the following: Repair completed at the Yunlin Yuan in the eighth month [August] of the fourth year of [the reign of the] Jiaqing [emperor] [i.e., 1799]. The Yunlin Yuan is probably the name of a Buddhist sub-temple or monastary. Such inscriptions, originally used to keep track to pieces donated to institutions that had large stores of textiles, provide contemporary scholars with important reference points for dating...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...