Touched by Indigo - Royal Ontario Museum
Touched by Indigo - Royal Ontario Museum
Touched by Indigo - Royal Ontario Museum
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(phoenix penetrating a peony), both symbolizing sexual union and<br />
fertility.<br />
The first and third register are identical in design. They are<br />
arranged in mirror-image fashion. Each consists of a lotus in the<br />
centre flanked <strong>by</strong> identical groups of motifs. These motifs include<br />
the twin form of the character xi (i.e., shuangxi or double happiness)<br />
framed <strong>by</strong> two melon-like lanterns with tassels, and a chrysanthemum<br />
flower head. The character shuangxi is an ubiquitous decorative<br />
element in happy events, in particular wedding celebrations.<br />
The melon-shaped lanterns symbolize abundant offspring because a<br />
melon has many seeds. Their tassels (shou) and the chrysanthemum<br />
are both emblematic of long life (shou), a desire further strengthened<br />
<strong>by</strong> the butterflies adorning all border corners.12<br />
The design of this quilt cover was created in the 1980s. Although<br />
images of dragons have not been incorporated into the composition,<br />
it can still be regarded as one kind of "dragon-and-phoenix" quilt<br />
design. The mirror-image arrangement of the compositional elements<br />
needs some explanation. In certain rural areas in southern Zhejiang<br />
there has been a long-established custom where a married couple,<br />
when they retired to bed, must sleep side <strong>by</strong> side, but head to foot.<br />
The mirror-image layout was devised to ensure both husband and<br />
wife saw the design on the far side of the quilt cover the way it should<br />
be viewed as soon as they sat up in bed in the morning and be pleasantly<br />
reminded of all the blessings that might come true.<br />
THIS QUILT-COVER TOP is made up of four strips of equal<br />
length, each adorned with four designs. The sixteen designs have<br />
been carefully planned so that although they seem to look alike,<br />
actually they are all different. The illusive effect is created <strong>by</strong> repeating<br />
certain compositional elements in a calculated way, such as a<br />
uniform number of children depicted in each square, with similar<br />
poses, and similar geometric or floral shapes enclosing them. The<br />
differences lie mainly in the diverse details serving as fillers for each<br />
design.<br />
The overall design typifies the standard decorative format of<br />
the so-called "hundred-boys" quilt (baizi bei). The number "one<br />
hundred" is only a convenient round number meaning abundant.<br />
As a rule, there are images of six children in each individual design,<br />
making a total of only ninetysix<br />
children in the sixteen<br />
designs.13 Here, the boys<br />
are depicted en race and<br />
spread out in a row as if they<br />
are taking their places on a<br />
stage. The two at the centre<br />
of each frame are cast as the<br />
principal players. They wear<br />
a variety of military garb and<br />
assume stances expressive<br />
of strength and might. Long<br />
ribbons around their necks<br />
tied into a big flowery bow<br />
in front of their chests indicate<br />
that they are assuming<br />
the guise of wuzhuangyuan<br />
or distinguished achievers in<br />
the military service exami-<br />
23. TOP OF A QUILT COVER WITH "HUNDRED-BOYS" DESIGN, Cotton, 1940s,<br />
Huangtandong village, Yueqing city, Zhejiang province, Gift of Dr. Ka Bo Tsang in<br />
memory of Mrs. Tsang Ng Sheung, 2004.68.24, L 215.8 cm x W. 173.7cm<br />
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