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Glossary Abrash: A change in colour in a textile or carpet brought about by differences in wool or dye batches. Aniline dyes: Chemical based dyes developed mid 19th century. Art Deco: Design originating in the 1920s and 30s having bold outlines, geometric and zigzag forms. Art Nouveau: A style originating in the 1880s, based on the sinuous curves of plant forms, used in architectural detailing and the applied arts. Arts and Crafts: a movement that began in the late 1800s, inspired by John Ruskin and William Morris and gathering momentum as a reaction against mechanized design and a celebration of earlier pre-industrial skills. The movement spanned over a century and had lasting influence and popularity in Great Britain and the USA. Bandhani: Indian word for tie-dye. Bizarre: a
term applied to exotically designed silks dating between c.1680 and 1720.
The designs are marked by an exuberant departure from traditional constraints
and show the influence on European textile designers of Asian porcelain,
lacquer work and fabrics. Expensive and much prized, bizarre silks were
produced mainly in Lyon and Venice, but also in France, Italy, Spain,
the Netherlands and England. Blue: Predominantly a feminine colour in many cultures, representing the Earth Mother, Great Mother, Queen of Heaven, etc. Hindu: the cloak of Indra is blue; China: heavens, clouds; Celtic: bards; Buddhist: healing coolness of heaven and the waters beneath. Christian/Gnostic: baptism by water; Graeco-Roman: badge of the sky deities, e.g. Jove, Juno. Brocade: Compound weave in which additional colours are added, originally by hand held brocading shuttles. Brown: symbolizes the earth. China: colour of the Sung dynasty; Christian: penitence, degradation, renunciation (as in monks" robes); Hindu: the Northern regions.Camelid: Belonging to a camel-like animal e.g. llama, alpaca. Chapan: Man's coat from Uzbekistan. Cherub: (pl. cherubim) A winged celestial being, the second of the nine orders of angels, usually portrayed as a chubby rosy-faced child; often confused with the putto (QV); has Graeco-Roman origins as Cupid. Chintz: Originally a name for the painted blocked or stained calicoes imported from India. Chrysanthemum: A noble/imperial flower in both china and Japan. In China, the October flower, signifying the ease and plenty that follows the final harvest; one of the four Noble flowers along with Bamboo, Plum Blossom and Orchid. In Christian legend, the star which guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem was transformed into a chrysanthemum, taking root at the entrance to the Manger; subsequently, a symbol of Christians epiphany. Cock: An ancient and widespread symbol common to nearly all mainstream cultures and beliefs, in general symbolizing the masculine principle. It can represent passion and pride (Buddhist), aggression (Roman), Vigilance, foresight (Egyptian) and, if seen with an ear of corn in its beak, prosperity resulting from good husbandry (Gnostic/Greek). Compound weave: General term for complex weaves. Coptic: Christian influence in Egypt. Crane: In China and Japan, a respected messenger to the Gods, an intermediary between earth and heaven, in general a symbol of prosperity, vigilance, happiness, etc. Christian: loyalty, order; Graeco-Roman: Spring, light; Celtic: the underworld, death, war. Crash: a rough, coarse linen. Crettonne: this was originally used to describe a course fabric with a hempen warp and linen weft. The term is now applied to a printed, everyday cotton cloth. It is usually unglazed and may be printed on both sides and even with different patterns Cushma: Long tunic, long sleeveless shirt. Dakini: Tibetan "sky walking" spirits, known as Dakini in Sanskrit and Khandro in Tibetan. There are 64 Dakini in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, each representing a different facet of feminine intuitive wisdom. See The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism by Antoinette K. Gordon, London 1939 and Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, ed. W. Y. Evans-Wentz, OUP 1967. Damask: An early patterned weave, pre-dating brocade originating in Damascus an important Syrian city in the east west trade. Reversible fabric, woven with an ornamented and often self-coloured design. Duck: symbolizes fidelity, felicity and beauty in China and Japan. Eight: Symbolizes regeneration; the octagon is beginning of the transformation of the square into the circle; most Hindu temples are built on an "8 x 8" Mandala pattern; In Islam eight angels bear the throne that supports the world; Tao has eight immortals or "genii". Elephant: Common to many cultures, the elephant variously symbolizes strength, wisdom, patience, sovereignty; sacred in Buddhism as the herald of the Buddha"s birth; revered in Hinduism as the God Ganesh. Ewe: Pronounced eh-way. In textiles, a cloth woven in strips by the Ewe people of Ghana. Five: Signifies for man, as in a pentacle, with head and outstretched legs and arms. Buddhist: the heart has four directions plus its "centre"; China: five elements, five atmospheres, cardinal virtues etc.; Christian: man after the fall, five books of Moses, five wounds of Christ. Floss stitch: Raw and untwisted silk thread. Four: Signifies tangible manifestations in the physical world, e.g. four winds, four directions, four quarters of the world. Amerindian: four winds; Christian: four evangelists, four arms of the cross, four rivers of Paradise, four chief devils; China: four streams of immortality. Gazelle: see Ibex; also note that in Judaeo-Christian iconography the gazelle in flight represents the soul fleeing from sin, mortal corruption, etc. Green: the compound of Blue and Yellow, heaven and earth, a mystic colour. It often denotes spring, abundance, reproduction, etc., but can also convey the idea of "unripeness" i.e. folly, inexperience. Green changing to gold denotes the green man (or the corn god, or green lion) becoming the golden ear of corn. Islam: the sacred colour; Celtic: the colour of the Earth goddess Birgit; Christian: growth of the Holy Spirit in Man; China: colour of Ming dynasty. Haori: A lightweight coat worn over kimono. It was used as a jacket or to prevent the kimono from becoming soiled and wet. Henna: Substance obtained from plants in the form of a red/ brown powder, used as a red dye. Ibis: an Egyptian symbol of the soul, perseverance, morning; sacred to Thoth. Ikat: Method of weaving where the warp threads (or in rare cases the weft threads too) are dyed off the loom prior to weaving. Once woven, this process adds a beautifully fuzzy property to the design. Also called bandhna in Orissa. Ibex: Symbolically the Ibex is often interchangeable with the gazelle and other antelope. In Islam it portrays a state of spiritual contentment (e.g. "my heart is a pasture for gazelles", ibn Arabi.). In the Egyptian, Sumerian and Semitic traditions the Ibex can symbolize storms. Inca: The last dynasty before the conquest in Peru 1200 AD -1535AD. Indigo: A natural blue dye from the plant Isatis tinctoria used from antiquity. Kalamkari or Qalamkari: a hand-painted or block-printed textile, pioneered in Andra Pradesh, India, but now associated with Persia. Derived from the Persian qalam (pen) and kari (workmanship). Kermes: Insect yielding brilliant and fast scarlet dye. Kesa: Tibetan monks habit, often sewn together from fragments of donated pieces of cloth. Knots: can be as symbolic of loosing as they are of binding; in Buddhism, one of the Eight Auspicious Signs; in Hinduism, a symbol of continuity and longevity; negative meanings include entrapment, enchantment, deception. Kufic: An angular pre-Islamic script developed from 8th Century, later superseded by the cursive Nastaliq. Lawon: A silk presentational cloth from Palambang Sumatra. Lily: A symbol of sweetness and virginity in the Christian tradition; an emblem of the Virgin Mary ("madonna lilies"), a symbol of Christ's Advent. Limerick Lace: embroidered needle lace made on a mesh using one or both of two techniques: tambour (chain stich made with a hook) or needlerun (stitches darned into the ground using a needle). Madder: A SW Asian plant, the root of which is used to make the distinctive red dye alizarin. Mandala: A pictorial diagram of the world, and of a person, used in meditation and Tantric rituals. Marimekko: Finnish company influential in the 1960s and 1970s, noted for brightly-coloured printed fabrics and simple styles. Mercerised thread: Method of strengthening cotton developed in 1844. Modern: as defined by Clive Bell in Paul Nash’s essay “The Meaning of Modern” ( 1932), ‘to find meaning’. Putto: (pl.
putti) a wingless baby (not to be confused with the winged cherub) often
used as a decorative motif from Pagan times onwards. Red: a powerful colour, referring usually either
to fire (sun, light, the bridal torch, burning passion, sexual excitement,
joy) or blood (blood-lust, warlike passions, rivalries, sacrifice, martyrdom
etc). Alchemic: masculinity; Amerindian: Joy; Buddhist, the life force;
Chinese: the sun, summer; Christian: Christ’s blood,
zeal, martyrdom (hence saints' days are printed in red and known as red
letter days); Greek: active masculine (as opposed to passive royal purple);
Mayan: victory; red with white can signify death, or with white and black
can signify three stages of initiation. Strip-weaving:
Technique of weaving long, narrow strips, which are then sewn together,
so that a larger cloth is produced.
Silk by Philippa Scott published by Thames and Hudson 1993 African Textiles: Colour and Creativity across a Continent, Gillow, John, 2003, Thames and Hudson, London. 5000 years of Textiles, Harris, Jennifer, 1993, British Museum Press, London. Sari to Sarong, Maxwell, Robyn, 2003, National Gallery of Australia, Port Melbourne. Indigo, Balfour-Paul,
Jenny, 1998, British Museum Press, London. ,‘The Modernist Textile’, Virginia Gardiner Troy, Hampshire, 2006. |
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