Drachen aus Goldenen Fäden (Dragons Made of Golden Threads): Chinese Textiles from the Collection of Deutsches Textilmuseum Krefeld
Drachen aus Goldenen Fäden
Dragons Made of Golden Threads
Chinese Textiles from the Collection of
Deutsches Textilmuseum Krefeld
November 1, 2020 — May 2, 2021
The new exhibition of the German Textile Museum presents a selection of around 120 Chinese textiles from its own inventory. The research on the collection of East Asian textiles that preceded the exhibition was made possible by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Krefeld as part of the focus funding “Ans Licht” (2027-2021). The internationally known textile researcher Walter Bruno Brix was able to be won over for this purpose. He concentrated on the processing of Chinese textiles for the exhibition now shown and wrote a richly illustrated, extensive catalog.
The origins of the textiles and garments presented range from the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) to the People's Republic of China (since 1949). In addition to fragments, numerous Manchurian clothing items for both women and men as well as garments for Han Chinese women form a focus of the show. Special objects include fragments of an imperial robe from the 18th century, a robe with dragon medallions for a noble lady in slit weaving, two oversized robes for statues of gods, an imperial shroud, a large fragment of a palace carpet made of silk velvet, and a so-called Mao suit the second half of the 20th century.
All textiles have in common the confrontation with golden dragons, which symbolize the Chinese emperor and his court with a pronounced hierarchy. A large part of the robes and fabrics show golden dragons, others present other animals that embody the court ranks and others deliberately do not show such representations because they delimit themselves for political reasons.
Click the image below to watch a behind the scenes introduction to the exhibition with curator Bruno Brix.
