Title
Tablecloth
Year/Period
Early 20th century
Region
Straits Settlements
Dimension
Gross measurement: 92 x 103 cm
Accession No.
2007-00896
Collection of
This rectangular piece of embroidered panel could be a tablecloth for a dresser. Such pieces were usually created using silk thread embroidery with satin stitches. These are a series of parallel stitches used to cover a section of the base fabric. The decorative motifs on this piece are largely floral in nature with butterflies. Butterflies are symbols of romance and love. Each flower petal here is stitched using silk threads of graduated shadings, the darker shades being concentrated in the core of the flower. Larger panels like this were usually produced by professional embroidery workshops in the coastal cities of China before being shipped to their Peranakan Chinese customers in Southeast Asia.
