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The well-knitted Kesi work is of bright, clear and elegantly matched colors. A couple of phoenixes are looking at each other in peonies and peach blossoms, against the background of clouds and the sky in the upper part and the sea below, conveying a sense of wealth and happiness. For Kesi works, raw silks are used for longitudinal threads and colorful boiled-off silks latitudinal threads; longitudinal threads are continuous while latitudinal ones are not, and the colorful latitudinal threads are weaved to show flowery patterns. When weaving is finished, it looks consistent on both sides. Looked against light, the weaving patterns are like carved patterns. This is why Kesi is also named “carved silk” (also “kesi” in Chinese pinyin). Kesi techniques are easily understood but difficultly mastered, which require weavers with high artistic attainments. As the ancient proverb goes, “Kesi is money”, which proves its preciousness. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Kesi techniques were already quite mature, and therefore there were a number of famous Kesi painters and calligraphers, such as Zhu Kerou and Shen Zifan. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, Kesi was not only used in paintings, calligraphy and Buddha figures, but also in high-end costumes and daily goods. On this round Kesi work, the background is weaved with twining gold threads; patterns are rendered by applying the techniques including “scaling”, “flipping”, “hooking” and “combing in the opposite direction”. It is a precious outstanding Kesi work.
