Monday, May 21, 2012

Fantasies in Glass Beads: Chinese Embroidered Headbands

I confess that I have no manual skills, and that all handcrafts, including painting, sculpture, and needlework, are mysteries to me, bordering on black magic. These skills are evident to a remarkable degree in Chinese headbands, sometimes called mei-lei (眉勒). Worn on top of the forehead to keep back the hair, mei-lei were often very colorful and well-decorated, sometimes embroidered with tiny glass beads. Although these are not my usual type of collectible, I couldn’t resist their intricate, colorful designs.


The way the beads are made into pictures is reminiscent of micro-mosaic work, the kind that was a staple for souvenirs from 19th-Century Grand Tours of Greece and Italy. The beading as a rule is considerably more stylized, without fine shading effects.

Micromosaic brooch  of the Pantheon, c.1875  
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Here is the entire piece from the first close-up. This brightly-colored headband is very well designed and executed. The black background in the flowered border seems to give it an exotic quality, and the blue of the center section is strong enough not to seem washed-out by contrast. While the flowers in the border are stylized, those in the center panel are portrayed as growing naturally and luxuriously, and the red-headed birds add a charming touch. Unfortunately, in the very center there should have been a jewel which is now missing, but the two mother-of-pearl buttons at either end for securing the headband are still present.

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This second mei-lei has opposite tonalities, with a white border and a dark center. Like the preceding one, the outer flowers are stylized while the inner ones meander, attached to their stems. There are remnants of the black strings which once tied it into the rest of the headdress. Luckily, this example still retains it center glass jewel, a large ‘emerald’ surrounded by ‘rubies’ and ‘diamonds’. I apologize that the jewel was not photographed very well; however, the picture demonstrated how these headbands are not flat, but have a hump in the middle to enhance the shape when worn, and to help display the jewel.


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This final example is more delicately colored, with a gray-green center surrounded by a white border. The border incorporates the Chinese character called double-happiness (), indicating that this was probably made for a wedding, or as a wedding present. Another charming detail in the border is that for each pair of birds, one is offering a flower to the other, who is accepting it. Just don’t ask me which are male or female!

In the central part, there is a design of flowers with a bat hovering above. (Remember that in Chinese culture, bats symbolize good luck.) An oddity here is that the two halves are not symmetrical, and furthermore seem to have been executed by two different hands. The sizes and shapes of the bats are different. Also, on the right side, the bat is flying over vaguely heart-shaped flowers or fruits, but on the left side, the fruits look distinctly like pomegranates.

In addition to two white glass buttons for attachment, this one still retains its center glass jewel, a large white ‘diamond’, surrounded by ‘rubies’ and ‘emeralds’.



Parthenon brooch photo from Wikipedia, all others belong to author.

14 comments:

  1. Hello Jim:
    Like you, we can in absolutely no way whatsoever be thought of as 'handy'!! So, we are completely in awe of the skill which would be required to execute such wonderfully intricate beadwork as that contained in these truly charming headbands.

    Our favourite is the final example, perhaps because of the colouring, but we are also intrigued by the lack of symmetry, albeit that the two sides 'echo' each other brilliantly in terms of design.

    There is so much to see in each of the headbands. It is truly remarkable how one can determine so much detail in each of them and how a sense of movement and life has been created.

    We have so enjoyed finding out more about these 'mei-lei' and would delight in having such a splendid collection of them as you are fortunate to possess.

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    1. Hello Jane and Lance,

      Your point about the symmetry is well taken. Now that you mention it, all of them have slight variations in both right-left and up-down symmetry, even those with stylized flowers. The asymmetry involves both design and color. This must be partly what gives them that sense of interest and vitality that you noticed.

      If I can dig up the others, we'll have to add them to the comparison.

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  2. Hello, Parnassus -

    This is really a very visually exciting collection. The beadwork reminds me of my own interest in Native Americans when I was a boy, though my attempts at beadwork then were unsatisfactory.

    What I like so much about your examples is how the same format is freshly reinterpreted in each piece. One does have the sense with the last mei-lei that it was a joint project by a couple, perhaps friends of the wedding party.

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    1. Hello Mark, I find it hard to believe that any endeavor of yours did not turn out well. Your comment about the Native American beadwork made me think of some excellent 19th century examples in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

      Minor differences in a class of old objects are visually interesting, but when we can find underlying the underlying motives or explanations, we have really opened a window into another time and place.

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    2. I love it when museums show comparisons. The Smithsonian Museum of Science and Technology has a very interesting display of Chinese export china, the European copies of the same design, and the Chinese copies of the copies! I'd like to meet the person who put that exhibit together!

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    3. That sounds like a fascinating exhibit. I'm going to keep an eye peeled for the catalog. I think that they could do they same type of thing with Chinese vs. Western furniture.

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  3. It's interesting that beadwork is employed in several cultures, (including as Mark D Ruffner notes, in Native American artifacts), but also in work produced to this day by the hill tribes people of Northern Thailand, (and therefore the Mekong region). These examples you show are rather similar to eye masks, but would of course be completely useless as such!

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    1. Hello Columnist, You are right, they do look just like eye masks! Actually, they are too big for that, about 10 or so inches across; I should have put something in to indicate scale.

      Beadwork does show up in many cultures--I remember reading that one of the most common finds in archaeological sites is beads.

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  4. That is a really beautiful piece. I am so amazed at the attention to detail in such things. Have you ever seen Victorian sand art? It reminds me of the detail in patterns and the birds a bit. I used to love those micro mosaics. I seem to remember staring at some at the Met when I was a little girl! Like Mark I tried beading once in grade school with a Native American kit. Bought the craft store set and after about one centimeter of beading I lost patience and never finished it!

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    1. Hello Ann, I checked on the sand art, and it is really amazing how much detail they got in those old ones. Here is a link I found:
      http://www.msdowantiques.com/2010/06/clemens-sand-art-bottles-re-appear-at.html

      I agree that the color palette is similar, also the way in which the patterns develop in the granular material. (Navaho sand paintings are flat versions, but can be included here as well.

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  5. Thank you for your very kind comments on my blog and for following me. I have now joined your blog too, and look forward to finding out more about Asian art etc, a subject that I am not too familiar with.

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  6. Hello Rosemary, I try to share some of the less commonly seen examples of Asian art, but I also plan to feature more architecture, a subject on which you are certainly on solid ground. In the meantime, I'll have to improve my photography by studying the beautiful photos on your blog.

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  7. Hello. I just saw your blog today. I have about 20 of these Chinese head warmers. I was told they were from the Peranakan or Straits Chinese.

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    1. Hello Dante Ferry, It sounds like you have a very nice collection. Are they all beaded, or are some embroidered, etc.? It is my understanding that these represent tribal or regional work, but I have not run across anything that would help to differentiate the different styles. --Jim

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