Touched by Indigo - Royal Ontario Museum

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THE DESIGN OF THIS TABLECLOTH or wrapper is composed
of a number of overlapping squares of different sizes, with each progressively
larger one forming a decorative border for the inner one.
Cowrie-shaped motifs in various sizes and slightly different forms
are repeated as a filler. The largest kind, which appears in lozenge
shape, fills the outermost border. The medium-size kind is oval in
shape. Four of them are arranged surrounding a squarish version,
making up a conventional coin motif. The coin motif is repeated to
fill each of the diamond-shaped spaces in the latticework executed
in machine-couched white thread made stout by combining more
than ten strands together.
The design in the centre shows a square with round corners
standing on one of its corners within a square frame. Its four sides
are flanked by a pair of triangles, each triangle being separated from
the other by a light blue line. Within the square with round corners
are four identical floral motifs, each positioned at one corner. They
enclose an eight-petal floret in the centre. The floret is formed by
eight small cowrie-shaped motifs and a small round one as the centre.
When the four floral
motifs are viewed
with a cowrie-shaped
motif directly below,
they resemble four
fleur-de-lis designs.
The fleur-de-lis
designs are achieved
by stitching along the
pre-marked shapes on
the cloth before dyeing.
The techniques used
for making the cowrieshaped
motif are similar
to those described for
the six-petalled flower and the round flower head in No. 11. Of
particular interest here are the three types of narrow border patterns.
The innermost one that shows a line with white dots on both sides is
commonly called a "centipede" line. The method for producing it has
been discussed in No. 10.
Adjacent to it is a broad line with faint bluish interlinking elongated
diamonds against a white ground as the middle part and white
dots forming fringes on both sides. It is made by folding the cloth
three times (for the last two times, one forward and one backward)
to create four layers. The four layers are then sewn together along the
edges by a line of running stitches.9 The cloth is dyed after the thread
has been drawn up and knotted. Because the stitching resists the dye
from touching the two middle layers directly, a faint pattern in light
blue is obtained after dyeing.
The outermost border is executed in a similar way. The only difference
is the folding method. After the cloth has been folded once
the two layers are folded together one more time before the same
kind of stitching process is done. After dyeing, the line obtained is
characterized by two patterns. One side shows two rows of asymmetrically
arranged white dots. The other side shows a white line
divided by numerous faint blue short lines. Women of the Bai ethnic
group fondly call this pattern mayachi (horse teeth).10
Two of the border patterns, the "centipede" line and light blue
tape with fringes, are also used in the square at the centre of the
tablecloth. The use of light blue softens the stark contrast between
blue and white. It also exerts a harmonizing function in the overall
design, which, cleverly conceived, looks the same no matter how the
tablecloth/wrapper is turned.
12. TABLECLOTH / WRAPPER, Cotton, 2002, Yunnan province, On loan from Mrs.
Patty Proctor, L2004.8.1, L U2 cmxW. 145 cm
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