Silk embroidery is like painting with needles and silk threads. They are subjects of great beauty and Chinese historical importance, providing an important cultural link with the past. Because silk embroidery is also involved with very much complicated handcrafted work, they do have great monetary and emotional value.
Collectors purchase silk art work because they want to decorate their homes, or feel the enthusiasm of collecting. Different things have different values. It is rare that values stay exactly the same. Art value is the experience we have while interacting with the work of art. The true and lasting value of art is in the eye and experience of the viewer, and is based on what artists put into it and what the viewers take away from it.
The price of a piece of silk art will increase over time because of the law of supply and demand. In China, girls used to begin to learn needlework at the age of five or six, but fewer and fewer girls get into this traditional industry now, less and less silk embroidery pieces are made, some of the pieces have vanished because the embroiderer might retire or pass away or the industry may discontinue some of the original art work. With the ever-increasing labor cost in hand embroidering and carving, as well as material costs, prices for the same design will be almost certainly are higher. So, silk embroidery art pieces are not only beautiful to look at and also highly valuable for collections. They bring much pleasure to people's lives, too.
Silk art that speaks to you, that stimulates you, that touches you, that makes you peaceful, comfortable or arrests you - this entire art piece will have great value for you, value that is beyond the price. It is based upon contingent connections between the art works and sentiments. Your silk art collection should be an investment in your personal pleasure and growth, a valuable legacy and source of inspiration for future generations.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
How to differentiate Chinese silk embroidery from machine-made embroidery
What's the difference between hand embroidery and machine embroidery by looking at their pictures. The best way is to check its photo with high resolution. By checking the large photos of the embroideries, you can see the stitches of the embroidery clearly. Below are some tips that will help you to tell Chinese silk hand embroidery from machine embroidery.
1. Material. Chinese silk embroidery is made with silk threads on silk satin. Silk threads are very delicate. It is very difficult for a machine to use silk threads to make embroidery because silk threads can get broken very easily during embroidering. Machine embroideries normally use artificial fibers or artificial silk threads that are much stronger than natural silk threads.
2. Size of threads. Machine embroideries use full threads, but a fine quality silk embroidery painting use split silk threads, silk threads split from one full silk strand. To show the embroidery effect well, embroidery artists often use different sizes of silk threads when making one silk embroidery work. For example, the face part of a portrait embroidery is the most exquisite part that often use silk threads much thinner than the ones in other parts. Embroidery done with thinner silk threads is more smooth and has more colors mixed so it will look more realistic. But in a machine-made embroidery, all the threads are in the same size, all threads not split.
3. Stitches. If you compare two machine embroideries of the same design, you will find their stitches are the same. But handmade silk embroidery is different from each other even if the design is the same. Due to their nature of being handmade, there are not two handmade silk embroideries that are 100% the same. Also in one machine made embroidery alone, if you check it carefully, you will find that its stitches have a regular pattern.
4. Colors. The hand embroidery looks more brilliant while the machine embroidery looks a bit dull. Also when you check the enlarged photos, you will find hand embroidery looks neater while the machine embroidery looks rough.
Below are two photos taken from one part of the embroideries, one is hand embroidered, the other machine made.
1. Material. Chinese silk embroidery is made with silk threads on silk satin. Silk threads are very delicate. It is very difficult for a machine to use silk threads to make embroidery because silk threads can get broken very easily during embroidering. Machine embroideries normally use artificial fibers or artificial silk threads that are much stronger than natural silk threads.
2. Size of threads. Machine embroideries use full threads, but a fine quality silk embroidery painting use split silk threads, silk threads split from one full silk strand. To show the embroidery effect well, embroidery artists often use different sizes of silk threads when making one silk embroidery work. For example, the face part of a portrait embroidery is the most exquisite part that often use silk threads much thinner than the ones in other parts. Embroidery done with thinner silk threads is more smooth and has more colors mixed so it will look more realistic. But in a machine-made embroidery, all the threads are in the same size, all threads not split.
3. Stitches. If you compare two machine embroideries of the same design, you will find their stitches are the same. But handmade silk embroidery is different from each other even if the design is the same. Due to their nature of being handmade, there are not two handmade silk embroideries that are 100% the same. Also in one machine made embroidery alone, if you check it carefully, you will find that its stitches have a regular pattern.
4. Colors. The hand embroidery looks more brilliant while the machine embroidery looks a bit dull. Also when you check the enlarged photos, you will find hand embroidery looks neater while the machine embroidery looks rough.
Below are two photos taken from one part of the embroideries, one is hand embroidered, the other machine made.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010-Fill My Heart With New Hopes!
2010 approaches, I want to say a heartfelt thank you. I have been truly blessed with another wonderful and profitable year and I am deeply grateful.
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