Chinese Dragon Silk Kesi, slit tapestry, Kesi is a finely-woven Chinese pictorial silk tapestry. The name, which means “cut silk”, comes from the “visual illusion of cut threads that is created by distinct, unblended areas of color.” Expertly weaved and finely reserved in golden yellow base color which contrast against the colorful tones in blue, green, red and white. Decorated with metallic threads showing snarling huge five claws imperial dragon careening through cumulus clouds above thrashing Li-Shui waves in a blue color dragon squama rounded the silk. Dragon is the symbol of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, eternity, Yang and Yin, male vigor and fecundity, the Li-Shui wave pattern which is known to be the abode of dragons. Ruyi a wish for success without any obstacles , according to wishes, signifies good wishes for future prosperity, It is often used as a decorative motif in embroidery and hardwood lattices good fortune It may have come from the Buddhist tradition and came to symbolize wealth and power. All contrast reserved against royal-yellow background. The tapestry has a smooth surface and appears exactly the same on the front and back.


Measurements: Lenght: 72 1/2" Width: 38 3/4"

Lot Notes:

The history of sericulture in China is a long one. The oldest silk found in China has been dated to about 3630 BC, which means that it is from the Chinese Neolithic period. This silk was found in the Henan Province, a region widely regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilization. Another example of very old silk in China is a group of silk threads, a braided silk belt and a woven silk cloth fragment dated to circa 2570 BC. These items were excavated from the Liangzhu culture site at Qianshanyang, in the Zhejiang Province. The Liangzhu was the last Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta. The oldest known written reference to silk is on a bronze fragment found at the Shang Dynast site at Anyang. The Shang Dynasty existed from circa 1600 to circa 1050 BC. According to Chinese myth, sericulture and the weaving of silk cloth was invented by Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih, the wife of the mythical Yellow Emperor who is said to have ruled China in about 3,000 BC. Hsi-Ling-Shi is credited with both introducing sericulture and inventing the loom upon which silk is woven. In Chinese texts, she is sometimes referred to as The Goddess of Silk. For a long time, silk was a material reserved for the Emperor of China and those very close to him, such as important family members and very high-ranking dignitaries. Some very old and possibly semi-legendary sources write about how the Emperor always wore white silk within his imperial palace, and yellow silk when venturing outside. The principal wife to the Emperor and the heir to the imperial throne are also described as wearing yellow silk when showing themselves outside the palace.