Wedding Headdress

Wedding Headdress

19th century

Wedding Headdress, China, Qing Dynasty, 1800s. Silk, kingfisher feathers, copper alloy, turquoise, glass and ceramic. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. J. Churchill Owen, 1973.23.

Using bright blue kingfisher feathers for ornamentation has a long history in China. At first these costly products were only for the elite, but by the 1800s it was common for a bride to wear a headdress fashioned with kingfisher feathers. The precious stone "jewels," however, were replaced by ceramic, glass, or paste versions. Floral ornaments mingled with bats, symbols of blessings, and golden wish-granting clouds cover the black silk lattice under bonnet of this wedding headdress. Characters for double happiness appear at the crown; in the center of each strand of the beaded veil is an auspicious symbol.
Country
China
Object
headdress, wedding
Medium
Silk, kingfisher feathers, copper alloy, turquoise, glass and ceramic
Dimensions
height: 7 1/2 in, 19.05 cm; overall height: 8 1/2 in, 21.59 cm; diameter: 6.5 in, 16.5100 cm; width: 10 1/2 in, 26.67 cm; depth: 9 1/2 in, 24.13 cm
Credit Line
Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of Mrs. J. Churchill Owen
Department
Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion
Collection
Textile Arts and Fashion-Asian
Accession Number
1973.23
Known Provenance
Gifted April 1973 by Mrs. J. Churchill Owen via Craig and Tarlton, Inc. [Raleigh, NC] to Denver Art Museum
Exhibition History
  • "Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China's Last Dynasty," October 30, 2011 - January 29, 2012 (DAM)
  • "Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China's Last Dynasty," Februrary 7 - May 18, 2014 (Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH)

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