Patchwork collar
silk patchwork
Tibet or Bhutan
19th century
138 x 45 cm – 54 x 18 in

This interesting textile is actually a collar, which would have been worn trough the slit, now stitched up, in the middle of it. The design is obtained by stitching together differently coloured Chinese silks. Some of them are plain and some bear a damask cloud pattern. On a yellow ground a wheel, one of the symbols of Buddhism, is depicted, with a white and blue yin-yang motive, obviously of Chinese inspiration, in the middle. The corners of the textiles are occupied by a striped pattern and by scrolls. The juxtaposition of bright and contrasting colours, masterfully exemplified by this textile, is a characteristic of Tibetan aesthetics.

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