Featured Oriental Hand Done Cloth Thing

Picked this up at a junk shop with some other oriental watercolors. This measures 22" x 8 3/4". What do I call it? Very nicely done.

 

Phoenix and dragon admidst cloud scrolls. I can not remember what forbidden stitch looks like. I think this Chinese embroidery is lovely!

 

Thank you Laura. Just took better pictures.

 

There seem to be bats at the very top. Good luck symbols, I think.

 

Thanks Bakersgma

 

It looks like strings/cords placed on top of fabric and tacked down... not sure what that's called.

I'm about 75% sure there IS a specific name, but can't call it or google it up to save me.

This is a good article about "the forbidden stitch" (not related to the piece above, I don't think): http://www.marlamallett.com/forbidden_stitch.htm

 

That bats are at the bottom too.

 

COUCHING, it's called couching.

phew, that was way harder than it should have been.

EDIT: also, "laid work".

 

Looks like metal wound thread. Almost like a sampler for motifs used on imperial dragon robes - the 5-toed dragon, and (I think) mountain symbolism at the bottom.

 

Was thinking too part of a Qing era dragon robe

 

Or a runner or banner made in the same style.
I love it by the way, the contrast of the gold cord stitched on that blue-green silk is beautiful.

 

Thanks for the help everyone! With the backing there is no way to see the backside of the stitching.

 

Jivvy thanks for that link on the forbidden stitch!

 

I was looking at sleeve panels last night (when I finally got to "couching"), but thought the sizing was off. Didn't even come close to realizing the OP's is two pieces stitched together.

Well done, well done.

 

I am finding somewhat similar long panels described as chair covers:

http://artquill.blogspot.com/2015/10/chinese-textiles-amy-clagues-brocade_17.html

https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/two-chair-covers-8097

 

The ones you found are not the ones I was looking at, so multiple people calling them sleeve panels. Of course, it is the internet and bad info travels quickly.

@2manybooks , I'm wondering if the first one you posted is a chair cover and if the second one is two sleeve panels converted into a chair cover?

I don't really know Chinese textiles, so beyond "couching/laid work," I'm not of much use.

 

The key search phrase for sleeve results seems to be "Chinese embroidered sleeve bands"

 

Looking further into sleeve bands, I found this informative article on collecting Chinese sleeve bands:
http://www.victoriana.com/antiques/textiles/sleeve.html
Now that I understand how they were used around the cuffs of women's large sleeves, this does make more sense for the size of kraftblue's pieces. I also found this one (now mounted into a tray) which looks very similar.

http://artcollectiondispersal.weebl...ands-with-dragon-and-phoenix-and-foo-dog.html