Chinese Textiles

"This book tells many stories of Chinese life and legend through the sumptuous textiles that adorn its pages. It also shows how their visual brilliance and impressive workmanship were part of their allure for the Europeans who collected them and added their own stories to them. All the Chinese textiles in the V&A originally had a specific purpose, and it is those created for celebrations that dominate the selection in this book. Many pieces were made for birthdays and weddings, the latter providing occasions for splendid robes, palanquin hangings, quilts and bed curtains." "Verity Wilson focuses on more than a hundred of the V&A's most significant examples, almost none of them on permanent display. Although some are redolent of imperial China, the book also includes a large selection of pieces made after the fall of the Chinese empire in 1911 and on through the communist era. The painstaking techniques used to create the textiles, and the conditions surrounding their manufacture, are described in detail. Those who donated and sold Chinese textiles to the V&A also have a place in this book. The specially commissioned photography enables us to savour China's textile traditions in all their richness and dimity."--Schutzumschlag