Shwe-chi-hto (embroidered tapestry)

Material Information

Title:
Shwe-chi-hto (embroidered tapestry)
Series Title:
Objects of instruction : treasures of SOAS
Alternate Title:
Embroidered tapestry
Place of Publication:
Myanmar
Publication Date:
Materials:
Tapestry with metal threads and beads ( medium )
Measurements:
L80 x W102 cm in

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Shwe-chi-hto
Tapestry ( lcsh )
Spatial Coverage:
Asia -- Myanmar
Coordinates:
21 x 96

Notes

Abstract:
The dancing figures of the kinnari and kinnara fill the centre of this tapestry or shwe-chi-hto (gold-thread embroidery). As seen in this handmade piece, they are often accompanied by mythical or auspicious animals such as the lion or chinthe, the elephant and the peacock. The peacock, long identified in Burma with royal lineage and the solar dynasty, became particularly popular in the second half of the nineteenth-century at Mandalay. On this tapestry, the peacock is depicted frontally, the tail fanned open in a row of roundels at the top of the tapestry. The gold of the peacocks is set against a dark red ground worked in a smaller bead to give contrast and texture to the piece. (Text by John T. Carpenter and Yoshiko Yasumura, from the exhibition catalogue: Objects of instruction : treasures of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Anna Contadini, Editor. London : SOAS, University of London, 2007.) ( en )
General Note:
The 'Objects of instruction : the treasures of SOAS' exhibition was funded through a generous gift from the Foyle Foundation and with the support of the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
General Note:
Source: A. Contadini (ed.), Objects of instruction : treasures of the School of Oriental and African Studies. London : SOAS, University of London, 2007. Listed as item number: 37

Record Information

Source Institution:
SOAS, University of London
Holding Location:
Brunei Gallery
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.