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This piece of embroidery from the early Tang Dynasty is embroidered using cross-stitch. Among existing artifacts, lock-stitch is the oldest stitch. Its unique feature is using the front stitch to hook the back stitch, thus forming a curved needle line. From the Shang and Zhou dynasties, to the Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties, almost all the unearthed embroidery used lock-stitch embroidery. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, owing to the prevalence of Buddhism, the embroidery motif was widened. Devote Buddhists tend to invest heavily in embroidery to accrue merits. In the mean time, embroidery workers started trying to use cross-stitch--in which one stitch connects to the middle of the previous stitch--to replace locking-stitch. Its apparent effect is basically the same as lock-stitch. However, the efficiency was greatly improved. It continued to be used until the middle of the Tang dynasty until the more efficient flat-stitch was developed.

Details

  • Title: Embroidery with Lion motifs
  • Rights: All rights reserved
  • Width: 38cm
  • Length: 282cm

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