Keen inheritor stitches up the future for Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery
JIANGNAN Boudoir Embroidery, a traditional form of silk embroidery that combines literati painting, calligraphy and needlework, has been practiced in Jiading District and the surrounding areas since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (16441911) dynasties.
Usually created by women in their private sitting rooms, it was included in the 12th batch of Jiading’s representative intangible cultural heritage items in March 2023.
Fan Dongmei, an inheritor of the Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery, has spent over a decade delving into historical materials and refining embroidery techniques to ensure the art form’s enduring vitality in Jiading.
Having learned embroidery from her mother since childhood, Fan was able to produce a variety of embroidery pieces suitable for everyday use without much effort at a young age. As she grew up, the unique charm and Eastern aesthetic of Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery continued to captivate her, setting her on the path of heritage preservation.
With an emphasis on the fusion of poetry, literature, painting and seal engraving, Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery features elegant themes, delicate threads and dexterous stitching techniques, resulting in artworks that surpass traditional paintings in brilliance and liveliness.
In comparison to traditional Su Embroidery, it demands not only mastery of traditional stitching techniques, but also a deep understanding of painting principles. With the support of her husband Huang Yi, a university scholar, Fan apprenticed under embroidery master Qian Jufeng while at the same time studying traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy with Jiading painter Wang Yuanchang.
“To capture the essence of the original paintings, I meticulously divide silk threads based on the artwork’s light and shadow variations,” Fan said. “This process demands extreme focus and patience. A refined Boudoir Embroidery piece requires silk threads with hundreds of hues and could take months to complete, with larger pieces requiring even more time.”
As she continues to explore and innovate embroidery techniques to create more vivid and detailed artistic effects, she infuses the art with a sense of perpetual renewal.
Fan’s Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery pieces have been displayed in numerous professional exhibitions and selected for international tours abroad showcasing traditional Chinese art, including a display at the Slovak National Museum.
“Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery is not something that was confined to the private sitting rooms of ladies in ancient days. It embodies the aesthetics, wisdom and inner beauty sought after by women in the modern era,” Fan said.
Jiangnan Boudoir Embroidery... embodies the aesthetics, wisdom and inner beauty sought after by women in the modern era.