Tapestries
Description: Tapestry is the art of stitching gold and silver onto the ground cloth to form desired figures.
Tapestry is the art of stitching gold and silver (thread as well as sequms onto the ground cloth to form desired figures, and the work is known as applique. To all Myanmars, it is known as “shwe-gyi-doe”. Shwe means gold, gyi is thread and doe means sewing or stitching; hence, literal rendering of "Shwe-gyi-doe" in English should be "gold thread sewing work.”
Gold embroidery is an ancient Myanmar industry carried on by tradition to this day. Certain data in Myanmar literature led us to assume that this handicraft could have started in the Bagan Era. However, it is said to have started in the time of King Alaungpaya, the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty, but then pieces of embroidery that belong to those days were rather crude as, for example, genuine fullsized gold coins were stitched together over coarse cotton cloth. During the reign of King Sinbyushin, son of King Alaungpaya, this work of art developed, and with the introduction of floral designs depicting intricate patterns of flowers, leaves and stems, flourished in the reign of King Mindon. In ancient times, the use of embroidered clothing and articles was limited to members of the royal family, ministers and high ranking officials. A minister called "Shwe-tike-wun" (the minister for finance in today's terms) supervised the embroidery work for the royalty which includes clothing, royal regcdia, robes, head dresses, footwear, trappings for horses of the royalty or ministers, drapery and curtains. For other high ranking officials, each privileged personage employed his or her own staff of workers to make embroidery for their own use. Those workers were rewarded handsomely if the master was pleased with the work. Nowadays, such embroidered clothing is used only on special occasions, such as the ''Shinpyu" or Buddhist novitiation ceremony for boys, the ear-boring ceremony for girls, the occasion of conveying Buddha images or holy objects, and other religious occasions. Embroidered costumes and attires are also worn by the cast of Myanmar theatrical performances whereas embroidered articles are solely for decoration, gifts and souvenirs. Tapestry, mostly in the form of screens or drapery can be found in places of worship and reverence like pagodas, monasteries, and also in exalted places like the prayer room and the living room. They are never used in lowly places. Ancient tapestry antiques are on dis- play at the Cultural Museum in Mandalay and from them, we can get a glimpse of the style of dress, hair style etc. that used to be in vogue in olden days.
Normally, five kinds of materials are required for tapestry: velvet gold thread, sequins, stones and cotton wool. Velvet, used as the ground cloth, may again be categorized into coarse velvet and fine, exquisite velvet. In some cases, cotton cloth is used as the ground cloth instead of velvet. Gold thread is another item but silver as well as silk thread are also used to lend brilliance and glossiness. Sometimes, small, thin silver and gold wires are used. As for sequins, they have come into use since ancient Myanmar established relationships with foreign countries. Formerly, gold and silver pieces, usually in the form of small stars and discs, were used. These had the tendency to fade or become decolourized, and the tapestry seemed to lose its elegance. Therefore, sequins were welcome to take their place and the result is that the cost is less and the problem of decolouration solved.
In olden days, genuine, precious stones were used for tapestries since they were for the royalty and the aristocracy. Nowadays, imitation jewels or fancy stones have been substituted for the precious stones. This is so because of the market demand. Precious stones are heavy in weight and high in price, raising both the cost of material and the weight of tapestry. Moreover, transportation charges also rise because of the weight of the tapestry. All these factors give way to the use of imitation jewels of different sizes and shapes to give the tapestry an exquisite look.. Cotton wool is used to raise the desired patterns by stuffing it under the cloth before being embellished. By-products of cotton and textile mills such as pieces and strips of cloth are now used as they are less costly than cotton wool.
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Myanmar TODAY (Your free travel guide to Myanmar) Author - May May Aung