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Pink satin mirror curtain embroidered with blue “fisherman, woodcutter, farmer and scholar” patterns

Collection Info

  • dimensionsLength: 43cm; width: 36cm

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Mirror curtains, also known as “mirror clothes”, are not only for mirror protection, but also to cover the mirror. In ancient China, due to the lack of knowledge in optical theories, people thought mirrors were magic and unpredictable, so there were so-called “monster-revealing mirrors” and “precious mirrors”. In civil society, people thought mirrors symbolized “cleanness”, so they made clothes to protect them. In this piece of mirror curtain, the main part is a pavilion with two layers of sharp pavilion roof, surrounded by mountains, waters and trees in the distance or to the forefront. Among the mountains in the distance, there are old towers and houses, and a new crescent moon is hanging high up in the sky. Figures are plain stitched, and the yellow cattle rode by the shepherd boy is weaved through applying turning stitch, and the stitch direction is arranged according to the structure of the cattle fur, vividly depicting the texture of the cattle fur. Most patterns are embroidered in three blue colors and outlined with gold-wrapped threads. From top to bottom, the figures include the shepherd boy riding the cattle and playing the flute along the river, the scholar reading in the pavilion, the elderly man sitting on a rock, fishing, and the woodcutter carrying firewood walking on the bridge. These four characters symbolize “fisherman, woodcutter, farmer and scholar” respectively, four walks of life in the ancient agricultural society, which also reflects the traditional reclusive ideology in ancient times. 

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