Textiles from the Li people of Hainan Island (Part 2: jackets and other textiles)
The Li are related to Dai/Tai people from across southeast Asia, and they are part of the broader Austronesian family. Their textiles, particularly their striking supplementary weft and ikat designs, show their connection with southeast Asian peoples and are quite different from textiles from other parts of southwestern China.
Click on the photos for a larger image.
CET312 A Meifu Li embroidered wedding headscarf, indigo cotton with silk designs of trees with birds (at the edges), stylized phoenix and pagoda (center). 19th century. Rare. 24cm x 144cm. |
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| detail of CET312 |  |
CET313 A 19th century Meifu Li wedding headscarf, in excellent condition despite its age. The indigo cotton foundation is embroidered with silk with natural colors, with designs of pairs of phoenix (or peacocks) on either side of tables spread with offerings (?). Around are auspicious Chinese characters. Rare. 22cm x 134cm. |
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| detail of CET313 |  |
CET61 An unusual bark-cloth jacket with striped design, Li minority people from Hainan Island. This kind of cloth, perhaps made from palm fiber, has a characteristic stiff feel. 94cm tall. |
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CET46 Characteristic woman's jacket worn by Run dialect speakers on Hainan Island. The panels at the sides are decorated with bold Naga designs with a frieze of Naga designs along the lower edge. As is normally the case with these jackets, the jacket itself is not particularly old, but the decorated panels are mid 20thC or earlier. The decorated panels seem to have been kept as heirloom items and re-used by successive generations. 105 cm wide. |
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| (reverse side of CET46) |  |
CET301 Supplementary weft decorated skirt, Run Li group. Made of 3 panels with characteristic decoration, including "giant" figures. The designs on this tiny skirt are very strong indeed. Note the tiny figures in and around the larger figures. Click on the images for and enlarged view. Dates from approximately 1920-1940. Similar skirts with the same coloring were recorded by Steubel on his visit to Hainan in the 1930s. 30cm x 30cm. Price on request. |
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CET301 The other side of this skirt. The panel at the bottom right has been re-used from an older skirt. |
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CET 301 Detail of the giant ancestor figure from the front panel. Tiny figures and nested geometric designs. |
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