‘Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies’ A Study in Technique, Symbolism, and Social Context

PANEL WITH DRAGON, PHOENIX, AND PEONIES’ A STUDY IN TECHNIQUE, SYMBOLISM, AND SOCIAL CONTEXT Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (State) Date “Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies’ A Study in Technique, Symbolism, and Social Context” Introduction Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies is a luxurious and ancient silk tapestry that belonged to the era of the Ming Dynasty. This fragment of the previous silk tapestry is laced with gold thread and contains the most valuable and revered images of ancient Chinese culture. In this way, this tapestry has become a symbolic representation of various aspects of Chinese royalty and ancient social values prevalent during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. The intricate and vivid use of natural colour preserved with the most effective mordant further provides much learning about ancient Chinese civilization’s dyeing and weaving technique. This tapestry depicts a dragon arising in front of a mountainous landscape, and herbaceous peonies accompany this dragon. The presence of the three most prominent symbols of Chinese civilization further enhances this tapestry’s social and cultural significance; based on these aspects of the tapestry, this discussion aims to evaluate the weaving pattern, dyeing methods, symbolism, and social relevance of this tapestry to relate with modern Chinese cultural norms. A Lively Description of the Tapestry The Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies is an exquisite piece of ancient Chinese textile skills due to its intricate weaving pattern and other embellishments. The panel is based on silk cloth and this piece is laced with intricate work of gold threads. The tapestry uses red, purple and yellow colors to indicate this piece was designed for royalty (The Met 2017). The tapestry indicates a colorful dragon rising above the clouds and the backdrop of mountains and waves further enhances the impression of nobleness and dignity. The use of multicolor flying phoenix and equally color peonies further adds to the vividness and depth of the landscape depicted in the tapestry (The Met 2017).[In classical Chinese tradition, use of specific colors was limited to different sections of society. For royalty and nobility the color codes were different and common people were prohibited to use them. For common people a different color code was used.] Basic Information about the Tapestry 457200140208000This tapestry has been on display in an exhibition of New York at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019. The dimensions of this piece of art are 14 1/2 x 23 3/4 in (The Met 2017). This piece of art was produced in 16th century during the reign of the Ming Dynasty and it was mainly used for decorative purpose for royalty signifying their importance.[This tapestry has a length of 36.8 cm and the breadth of 60.3 cm.] [This tapestry reflects how these symbols signify the importance of rulers for prosperity and social stability] Source: (The Met 2017) Weaving Techniques Used in ‘Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies’ Understanding the ancient Chinese weaving technique known as “Kesi” facilitates evaluating and appreciating the techniques and technicalities used in producing the ancient tapestry known as Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies. Kesi was a part of ancient Chinese weaving and cultural tradition, and it works by passing through the wraps and breaking the weft (Anonymous 2024). In this way, this weaving marks the fabric with a texture that appears carved and engraved due to an illusion of cut threads; since this weaving technique is highly intricate and meticulous and it produces rich and elegant fabric, it is called “the holy of weaving” (Anonymous 2024). This form of weaving was mainly performed using silk and metal thread. From a historical perspective, Kesi was used during the ancient Song and Yuan dynasties; during this era, this technique was mainly used to produce royal fabric. In most cases, this technique was employed to make fabric for calligraphy and paintings (K11 Craft & Guild Foundation 2023). Over time, the importance of the use of this weaving technique grew as during the Ming and Qing dynasties, kesi was mainly used to produce clothes for the royal family and high-grade officials, such as civil and military officials (K11 Craft & Guild Foundation 2023). Afterward, the use of kesi grew, and its use in imitation art, decorative fabrics, wall carvings, and other forms became popular. Evaluation of the tapestry belonging to the era of the Ming Dynasty, titled “Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies in terms of weaving techniques, provides significant insight into the techniques used during this era. This sixteenth-century masterpiece of Chinese textile is a product of silk and metallic threads woven together using the kesi technique; the basic fabric of this tapestry is silk, on which gold threads are weaved through Kesi (K11 Craft & Guild Foundation 2023). This feature makes it a luxurious silk tapestry suitable for royalty and nobility, highlighting the use of precious fabrics during the Ming Dynasty. The appearance of auspicious symbols (dragon, phoenix, and pheonics) reveals the tapestry’s relationship with royalty, indicating its significance. Dyeing Techniques and Colors Used in ‘Panel with Dragon, Phoenix, and Peonies’ The eras of the Ming and Qi...