Description

This Miao embroidered baby carrier dates roughly to the first half of the 20th century. It was made by a member of the Miao ethnic minority group in Guizhou Province in southwest China.

The textile is worked in silk on a fairly coarse indigo dyed cotton; the stitches employed are mainly cross stitch and diagonal stitch.

Like another textile from this group on our website (see https://www.christopherleggeorientalcarpets.com/products/view/miao-embroidered-collar/ ), the fine embroidery is strictly geometrical and for the most part meticulously executed. The exception to the fineness of the work are three bands at the bottom and one red band above the top section of the piece which are loosely covered in floss silk.

The square with the main body of the embroidery has been reinforced around the edges with an additional strong cotton band of around five cm width. The indigo in this has been overdyed with dark brown, which gives the impression of a frame. It is decorated with a narrow band of embroidery on a dark blue ground, which has been applied to the frame much like a braid.

The simplicity of the geometric designs is echoed by the very restricted colour scheme in the stitching, which features only dark red and pale yellow, with green highlights in the ‘braid’ on the frame. The design is completed by three long silk tassels in shades of red and purple.