Susan,
Very many thanks for sharing your little gems with us! They are beautiful! Yes, it is the sense of whimsy that really attracts me too! I knew we shared a similar taste in textiles!
I feel with these purses that thre is such a lot of concentration and sheer joy in their creation. I love #3 - I suppose that is partly the fading that has happened and it would have been much brighter and 'in your face' when it was first made.
I have been very remiss in not coming back and posting Steven Frosts further translations of the images from the Hunan Fine Arts book on Hunan embroidery. He sent them to me days ago and I just haven't had the time on concentrating on applying text to particular images.
Steven has numbered the translations 1-12. I will try and apply this numbering to the page numbering above with 'top', 'bottom' etc. He says in cover
Quote:
"My very incomplete translation. Its all I can do right now. Ethnic groups are only mentioned on Yao pieces. For the ones in Changde and Yuanling the artists are probably Han. Others may be Han as well, but they do not say. These are from a large geographic area spread all around the western half of Hunan."
Thus only a few of the items are Jianghua Yao. I am going to try and add slightly larger images of the Jianghua Yao items.
1) Yuanling County (towards northwest Hunan). In the collection of Yuanling Museum. This is designed to hang on a wall and keep various and sundry things inside. (no ethnic attribution) - top page 74
2) Embroidered bag for miscellaneous things, Melon seed pattern MaYang County, Mayang Cultural Center Collection It describes a couple of stitching techniques I am not familiar with, representations of pomegranates, buddha hand, lotus flower, gourd and peach. (no ethnic attribution) - bottom page 74
3)
Yao lotus purse Pheonix and rooster pattern 12 x 9cm, eight treasure pattern 15x 9cm,
Jianghua Yao Autonomous County, Hunan Masses Art Museum Colllection. The two styles are very different, the second example is especially old and has begun changing color. Top two bags page 75
4) Embroidered Lotus bags, Yiyang County Hunan Masses Art Museum Collection left: 16 x 9 cm. right: 16 x 9.5 cm. There is a detailed description of colloquially named stitching techiniques of which...unfortunately only the "dazi" techinique is familiar to me. Bottom two bags page 75
5) Embroidered Lotus Bags, Changde Area Both bags illustrate scenes from operas. left:20 x 9 right: 18 x 9 Top two bags page 76
6)Embroidered Lotus bag,
Jianghua Yao, Butterfly and Peony Design, 12 x 12 cm. Hunan Masses Art Museum Collection Bottom bag page 76
7) Embroidered Lotus bag,
Jianghua Yao, Top bag page 77
8. Embroidered Lotus Bag, Yuanling County, Yuanling County Museum. Peony and Tiger's Head Looking Back. Bottom bag page 77
9) Tobacco Bag, Yuanling County, Yuanling County Museum Collection, Butterfly and Peony Design. Top bag page 78
10) Embroidered Back Bag (Fanny pack?) Yiyang County. The main design is a monkey hanging from a tree along with a bee. This expresses a wish that the people's simple desires can become reality. Bottom bag page 78
11) Embroidered Back Bag (fanny pack?) Butterfly and Peony design, Mayang County, Zhang Gong Village, Made by Huang Guilan, Private Collection. Top two bags page 79
12) Embroidered Back Bag, Mayang County, Dabanjiang Village, Private Collection Bottom two bags page 79