Washi Tape
Blue Velvet/Pear Garden
Washi Tape Mixed Pack
9781439781616
- Pack of two complementary designs
- Authentic Japanese washi tape paper
- Decorative metallic foiling
- 10 metres of high-quality patterned tape per roll
Blue Velvet
Our Blue Velvet design is inspired by a piece of a 15th-century velvet dalmatic. The original panel was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the Rogers Fund in 1945. It is patterned with a seven-lobed shield that contains an artichoke-like botanical shape adorned with tiny floral patterns on each side. The patterning was created using brocaded gilt metal thread.
Velvets were originally woven on a special loom that created two thicknesses at the same time in order to achieve their marvellously soft texture. It was an expensive and painstaking procedure, making velvets like this some of the most highly prized luxury fabrics of the Renaissance.
Peking Opera Embroidery: Pear Garden
The dramatic art tradition of opera traces its roots to the earliest periods of ancient China. During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), the Emperor Taizong founded an opera school called Liyuan (Pear Garden), establishing opera’s importance in the country.
By the 20th century, Peking Opera had become so popular that it was regarded as the “national theatre” of China. Sadly, the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 led to its sharp decline as entertainment took a back seat amidst political and cultural upheaval. In sharing this colourful piece of opera costume, we hope to help tell the story of the Chinese musicians and performers who played an important role in developing opera as we know it today.