Take a moment to look at the detail in this very fine Chinese silk on silk embroidery mounted on heavy gold damask fabric in the traditional way. The busy scene depicts a section of the monumental masterpiece "Qing Ming Shang he Tu" or "Along the River During the Qingming Festival, after Zhang Zeduan (1085 - 1145). It portrays Bianjing city's (todays Kaifeng in Henan) prosperous countryside, streets, and rivers; and illustrates the archaic social living conditions.
The detail is worth noting as it provides us with a glimpse of what daily life was like in China - the hawkers, the godowns, noodle vendors, dry fish sellers, tea shops, the bridge packed with people and their wares, as are the boats/sampans. A busy river scene.
On the right side a column of archaic calligraphic embroidered characters in black silk with a 4-character seal mark in red silk below.
These scrolls can be framed, wall mounted or rolled out and looked at in sections - as was originally intended in times gone by. Scroll weights would have then been used to weigh down the ends.
Condition is excellent.
Last half 20th Century.
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The overall scroll size is 77" x 26". The image (including the calligraphy) is 60" x 18 1/2". Rolled up 26" x 3".
1.5 pound