Chinese tian-tsui wedding headdress of the 19th century, made using gold gilt tin, silk pom poms, glass beads, and kingfisher feathers. Size: 25(w) x 11(l) x 22(h) cm
Lots more pieces (including smaller hairpins & earrings) on display at the exhibition, open through May 2023.
It is also important to note that the demand for feathers for tian-tsui nearly drove kingfishers to extinction in China in the early 20th centry, with the last feather factory closing in 1933. But there are now some contemporary artists reviving the craft who make a point of using ethically sourced feathers (collected from molt etc).
1 Cap (清朝 点翠头饰） China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 18th-19th century Gold wire, kingfisher feathers, amber, coral, jadeite, ivory, glass, silk Exceptional workmanship and the brilliant color of the kingfisher feathers make this an outstanding example of a woman’s headdress. At the center, a phoenix with a peacock-like tail is flanked by a pair of dragons. Stacked above the phoenix are a large bat studded with a jadeite gem and another executed in fine filigree. Gourds, symbolizing the wish for multiple offspring, appear on the sides and suggest that this cap may have been worn by a young woman.
2 Headdress (清朝 点翠头饰） China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 19th century Silk-covered lattice, kingfisher feathers, gilt bronze, jadeite, coral, amethyst, rose quartz, and carnelian The central roundel on this headdress features a butterfly with jadeite wings and a coral body while those on either side contain rose-quartz flowers and narrow-waisted bottle gourds, symbols of fertility. Below the butterfly, two bat-like creatures with long antennae and quartz bodies are flanked by gourds. Jade-petal flowers and other plant motifs fill the top register.
3 Headdress (清朝 点翠头饰） China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 19th century Kingfisher feathers, gilt bronze, pearls, garnets. rose quartz, jadeite, and glass, applied to a silk-wrapped wickerwork trellis The numerous stylized creatures that adorn this headdress are bats. They represent a motif favored in Chinese art because the Chinese word for “bat” (fu) sounds similar to that for good fortune. The wings of the large bats are fashioned with seed pearls, and red agate cameos indicate the eyes and bodies of the smaller ones. Their long antennae end in pearls, which would quiver with the slightest movement when the headdress was worn. The strings of pearls hanging from the lower rim form a veil.
4 Tiara (清朝 点翠头饰) China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 19th century Kingfisher feathers on silver gilt, jadeite, carnelian, coral, and ivory In Chinese culture dragons are powerful but benevolent creatures, and the ones that decorate the top of this tiara chase a central flaming pearl- a combination that probably expresses the hopes for a happy marriage. Around the perimeter, stylized characters for longevity (show) and small figures of immortals symbolize a further wish for long life. On the inner rim, the eight phoenixes facing downward are also talismans for good fortune.
5 Tiara (清朝 点翠头饰) China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 19th century Kingfisher feathers on gold and gilt bronze, agate, and lapis lazuli At the top of this tiara, a pair of dragons chase a flaming pearl, a motif expressing hopes for a happy marriage. Below them a pavilion probably represents a paradise of immortals, and still farther down are two goldfish, symbolizing offspring and good fortune. The bottom is composed of a row of birds facing downwards, each holding in its beak a string of pearls suspending L-shaped musical chimes. The Chinese word for chime, qing, is similar to that for celebration.
6 Opera Costume Headdress (民国 点翠头饰） China, first half of 20th century Kingfisher feathers, gilt bronze, faux pearls, and glass This headdress teems with symbols of good fortune. The design centers on a large tree peony and below it, a pair of guardian lions flank a flaming pearl. The next row down features red-headed phoenixes and a dragon. A pair of leaping fish–symbolizing a successful career and abundant offspring- appear above the peony. At the top is a pavilion, perhaps representing a paradise of immortals. More details appear amidst the primary designs: bats and butterflies fluttering their wings and Chinese characters with meanings such as “wealth,” “longevity,” “nobility,” and “glory,” collectively imbuing the headdress with an air of celebration.
7 Opera Costume Headdress (民国 点翠头饰) China, Possibly Guangxi province, early 20th century Gilt bronze, kingfisher feathers, pearls, coral, silk thread, and glass Together with phoenixes, mandarin ducks, and bats, four large clamshells decorate this headdress. Each clamshell contains a pearl that is visible only from the side or the top. Contemporary audiences would likely have noticed many pearls dotting the headdress, though, and associated them with the clamshells’ contents. In addition to wealth, the pearls probably symbolize a wish for a happy marriage and many offspring.
[all descriptions above from the gallery labels]
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The only book I know about (in English) about tian-tsui feather art is this one:
PS - kingfisher feathers aren’t really blue - and in fact no bird feathers are known to have “true blue” pigmentation! It’s all structural color, just a trick of the light fooling our eyes. :) (Try taking a single “blue” feather and backlighting it sometime to see for yourself!)
✏️Tian-Tsui is a kind of manufacturing process. But the term “Tian-Tsui” generally refers to the combination of traditional Chinese metalwork and featherwork products, which means that the blue feathers of a kingfisher bird are set on a metal base such as gold or silver and made into jewelry.
The craft of making decorations with kingfisher feathers has been around since the Han Dynasty, and the box mentioned in the idiom “Buy the Case and Return the Pearl”, which is covered with feathers, is decorated with kingfisher feathers.
The kingfisher’s feathers, good luster, bright colors, coupled with shiny golden edges, set off the ancient ladies’ black hair, such as clouds, as if a ghost lake on the point of the floating light of the charm of movement.
However, the kingfisher bird is small, feathers are soft, even if the system is a delicate head flower but the sacrifice of many wonderful small living creatures, so the latter generation appeared a variety of jewelry to emulate Tian-Tsui.
During the Qing Dynasty, the practice of using other alternative materials to make Tian-Tsui was just that, people used dyed goose feathers, ribbons, and so on instead of kingfisher feathers to make Chinese dress accessories, which is often referred to as imitation Tian-Tsui by handicraft masters.
In fact, the beauty of jewelry made of imitation Tian-Tsui material is no less than that of real Tian-Tsui. After all, the kingfisher feathers are only more vivid and more beautiful on the kingfisher itself.
To us of today, what needs to be preserved is the art of Tian-Tsui, not the so-called rare feathers. It is fine to love beauty, but it is more important to love life
✏️Chaozhu is a type of necklace worn as an essential element of the Qing dynasty Court clothing uniform.
The arrangement of chaozhu is related to the Buddhist rosary. The chaozhu is composed of 108 small beads, with 4 large beads of contrasting stones to symbolize the 4 seasons and was placed between groups of 27 beads. The topmost divider is called fotou佛頭 (Buddha’s Head). There is also a long pendant hanging at the back which acts as a large counterbalance to keep the necklace in place called beiyun背雲 (back cloud); the beiyun is composed of a flat cord which could be connected to other precious stones beads and pendants and/or filigree. There is also 3 small dangling counterbalances which is attached to the necklace called shuzhu数珠 (counting strings) with each containing 8 memory beads记捻(jinian). The three smaller counterbalances complements the beiyun; it is also composed of precious stones beads and pendants and/or filigree.
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