Works of kesi and embroidery are an important part of the NPM’s collections. In ancient times, kesi was a highly treasured type of weaving. No later than the Tang dynasty (618-907), the kesi technique of tucking short lengths of weft into the warp of a textile came into use in weaving. During and after the Song dynasty (960-1279), the decorativeness and the practicality of kesi weavings both markedly increased, but kesi eventually turned toward becoming an art form made purely for aesthetic appreciation. The Song dynasty was also a period when embroidery techniques reached maturity, as the finely detailed art of embroidering realistic, painting-like images came of age. In the eras that followed, great attention was paid to creating artistic kesi weavings and embroideries based on the works of famous calligraphers and painters. These woven and embroidered artworks depicted images from a rich diversity of genres, including landscapes, flowers-and-birds, portraiture, and beyond.
The works of kesi and embroidery chosen especially for this exhibition are divided into three sections. The first section comprises ancient pieces of kesi and embroidery that were held in the Qing court’s art collections. This includes masterpieces of Song dynasty kesi, as well as Ming dynasty (1368-1644) forgeries of Song dynasty kesi and embroidery that, being viewed as authentic, made it into the Qing court. Because private art collecting was in vogue during the late Ming dynasty, artisans specializing in imitations of ancient works of kesi and embroidery sprang up in the region south of the Yangtze River. Some of their creations made it into the Qing palace collections by being mixed in with tribute rendered to the court or even with birthday gifts offered to the emperor. From these works, which are now in the NPM’s collections, we can catch glimpses of weavings based on calligraphy said to have been written by Song dynasty calligraphers, including a work of kesi based on calligraphy written in the style of Mi Fu (1051-1108). There is even flower-and-birds kesi based on paintings created in the style of the renowned Ming dynasty flowers-and-birds painter Lü Ji (ca. 1439-ca. 1504).
This exhibition’s second section reveals the diverse genres, beautifully sophisticated manufacturing, and outstanding coloration of the kesi and embroidery created on commission for the Qing court. In addition to flowers-and-birds, landscapes, and human figure kesi and embroideries that were filled with auspicious intimations, the Qing court also commissioned works that told historical stories or contained Buddhist and Taoist subject matter. Some weavings even comprised imagery derived from the “Illustrations of Planting and Weaving” that became prominent beginning in Emperor Kangxi’s reign (r. 1662-1722). At the height of the Qing dynasty, the cities of Suzhou, Jiangning (present-day Nanjing), and Hangzhou in the region south of the Yangtze River served as the empire’s foci of weaving production. Specialists in the “three centers of weaving south of the Yangtze” wove the brocaded fabrics that were used to tailor the clothes worn by the imperial family and government officials. From the Archives of the Imperial Workshops of the Qing Court, we learn that most kesi weavings at court in Qianlong’s period were produced by the Suzhou Imperial Textile Factory. In an environment of frequent exchanges between the imperial court and local producers, weaving craftsmanship developed to allow the creation of kesi works that mimicked the Suzhou prints that were exceedingly popular in the 18th century. These pieces constitute a unique chapter in the history of woven art from the Qing dynasty.
The third section of this exhibition displays weavings and embroideries from the Qing dynasty court collections that were based upon works of calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose created by the emperors. Emperors entrusted the creation of these works to the Imperial Workshops. The pieces they produced included weavings of paintings and calligraphy that came from Emperor Qianlong’s (1711-1799) own brush, as well as written encomiums woven on imperial commission that were adjoined to paintings by court artists, or weavings that were collected at court to serve as models for later works. Other examples include calligraphic renderings of Qianlong’s poetry written by high-ranking ministers, which were then reproduced as works of kesi. Additionally, there were also embroideries of the emperors’ arstistic and literary works created by the mothers and wives of important officials, which were then offered as tribute to the throne. Worth mentioning here is that we also find in the collections a calligraphic rendering of the Chinese character for “longevity” that was written by Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) and then enlarged and turned into kesi. In sum, these works of kesi and embroidery from the Qing court represent the summation of these art forms’ technique, artistry, and historical value. Moreover, they are richly imbued with significance that represents the eras in which they were created.