Impressive Kesi Silk Embroidery with 100 Boys, Kangxi Period Silk China, Kangxi Period (1654-1722) Kesi technique Great colours and gold-thread weaving Measurements: 195 x 208 cm Very good condition Provenance: from an Austrian private collection This masterly Kesi silk embroidery dates to the Chinese Kangxi Period (1654-1722). This tapestry shows the popular Chinese motif of the 100 boys. Each boy is portrayed with individual facial features. The children are playing with various toys like drums, spinning tops and board games; others are juggling or performing acrobatic stunts. Several boys are playing hide and seek in a pavilion. Another group of boys is carrying a splendid dragon on sticks, two more are in front of them, carrying lanterns. Two boys are joyfully lighting fireworks, while others stroll through the garden or simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Various flowering trees, scholar’s rocks, archaic bats and kind of a small shrine can also be found on this artwork. All the boys are happy and well spirited. The scenery seems like a divine garden on clouds, occasionally dispersing the ox-blood coloured background. The masterful embroidery seems painted and has a smooth surface. The strong shades of blue, red and white give this tapestry a three-dimensional plasticity, which is further heightened by gold accentuations. The reverse is covered with a silk panel in a fine shade of green, which rounds off the piece. The variety of the artwork invites the viewer to explore and marvel for hours. The Kesi wall weaving is in excellent condition, considering its age. There is light damage, signs of use and repair discernible. The tapestry shows light stains and few marks of repair. A number of eyelets allow the embroidery to be hung up. It measures 195 x 208 cm. A true collector’s item, crafted by a master’s hand. Kesi Technique Kesi technique, also called Chinese tapestry, is a very old form of silk weaving from China, Sozhou city and surroundings. It involves using crude silk as warp yarns and boiled silk as end yarn. The special thing about this technique is that only a part of the end yarn is connected to the warp yard and no difference is made between front and back. In early Dynasties, an inch of Kesi fabric was worth as much as an ounce of gold. The process of making Kesi weaving required a large quantum of patience as it took a long time – only about a centimetre was made per worker, per day. The technique was developed during the Han Dynastry (206 BC – 220 AD) and refined during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) – which became known, amongst other things, as the golden age of Kesi weaving. The technique was most popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), where Kesi artworks started to look like silk drawings. Sadly the technique is almost forgotten today, as the long production time incurs high costs. Starting Bid :10000