I am afraid that I let myself be distracted by the drums (a very pleasant diversion!) from much of Andrew’s post above including the very beautiful quilt covers. I hope you will forgive me if I get a bit carried away but I find the these wax resist works of art which Andrew keeps producing out of the proverbial hat quite irresistible. They have rhythm, balance, an endearing quirkiness – especially the later ones – and are executed with such panache that I am continually amazed by them.
If a stranger chanced on this thread of the forum and looked at 237, 262 and 200 they might think that they were looking at a tiled floor. The drum motifs could give that impression.
What I love about most of the covers shown is that they are absolutely crowded with motifs – 237 is somewhat different and has got some dark indigo empty space. This cover has quite a different feel – almost a cross between delft and Jacobean work. In isolation and at first glance I would not have placed it in China. However, with closer examination some of the design shapes start to become recognisable.
Looking at 262 – and how concentrated and crowded this piece is – you can see from the rings on the waxed drum circles that these really are imitating metal with the small balls of metal catching the light as they do on the real metal drums in the following photos. Interesting to see how the stylised fill-in shapes evolve into fish, fowl and bugs as you focus on them and decipher the shapes. Surely this must have been a coverlet for a special event because it clearly took so much time and care to execute and it has obviously been treasured and kept for special occasions. It is a satisfying balance between curves and angles. The greek-key/swastika border is quite unexpected as a frame (a very difficult design to keep flowing around the corners) in contrast to the formal circles and then the whirly in-fill of shapes representing living organisms.
240 is quite, quite different and wonderfully extrovert. I would like to have met the woman who created this one. In one way the design is an amazing jumble of forms and yet it still has balance and the strong centre and quirky, almost regular, border hold it together. Some of the birds have cricks in their necks from fitting around other forms. Her butterflies are completely over the top. The border reminds me rather of a doodle, squeezing new motifs in as someone keeps lecturing on. (I wish that my doodles were of this quality!) This is the piece to put on a nursery wall to keep toddlers amused and as a basis for bed-time stories.
200 again picks up the feel of the metal bell decorations in texture as well as the circles (but with overtones of lace or paper doilies (that shows my age!) The hermit crabs are unexpected as Andrew indicated. I have just noticed that there are butterflies and pomegranates as infill in the circles themselves both recognisable images and possibly more stylised ones.
246 has a more cartoon-like quality in its images. I am not sure that I would want to meet any of the ‘birds’ with their very heavy necks and beady eyes. The ‘lion’ in detail 246-2 harks back again to Jacobean period embroidery or heraldic designs. In this same detail some of the simple, flowing outlines indicate bugs and other images with deceptive simplicity. I have just realised that Andrew in an email to me when discussing things I should look out for on my up-coming trip, mentioned that this was a 'tiger'! I suppose it does not have a mane! Actually, sharing Andrew's comments on research I might do/questions to ask he said:
Quote:
"When did tigers disappear from around those parts of Guizhou (Bailing quilt cover no.5 has a tiger motif on it and apparently, tigers were fairly common in the thick woodland around Sandu/Danzhai, if not all over Guizhou)."
Looking back at the first page of this thread when I introduced some coverlets being produced in the early 21st century – albeit by mature ladies – I see that one of them, 0111E35, has echoes of 246 and some of the infill in other ones that Andrew has posted. I suppose it is unfair to compare them too directly since we don’t know how typical the ones that Andrew has collected are of the general coverlets being made contemporary with these examples. Possibly the very best are the ones which have been treasured and then sold. However, one has this feeling that today’s world into which all these groups are emerging so rapidly does not allow the women to spend the huge amounts of time and energy that it takes to produce such fine works of art. The machine made cover is also likely to be valued more!
Just to pick up on Andrew’s question in the text accompanying his post:
Quote:
“I’ve been told that the diamond twill cloth and plain cloth could be made on the same looms, but from the information given by Marla, plain cloth only requires 2 harnesses whilst diamond twill requires 4. Presumably, the most basic looms would only have the 2, and so could not be used to make the diamond twill, would this be the case?”
It would be the same basic wooden loom frame regardless. The harnesses could be added as required for either fabric or, as we saw in some of your earlier photos, a couple tied together and used as one.
I am not sure that I completely follow your explanation of the Bailing Miao and their mixing with the Shui and, am I correct, yet another Miao group? By the way, have you any information about the word ‘Bailing’? Does it relate to a place? Is it a comment on clothing – if so what? Or….?
Thanks once more for sharing these masterpieces of wax resist art with us and for providing your thoughtful words of background. I will never see a bronze drum in the same light ever again!