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Chinese

Kingfisher Wedding Headdress (dianzi), mid-to late 1800s

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Chinese

Title

Kingfisher Wedding Headdress (dianzi)

Year

mid-to late 1800s

Medium

Silver and copper-alloy with gilding, kingfisher feather, jadeite, imitation pearls, semi-precious stones; frame: metal wires with black and green silk floss and black satin

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • feather,
  • silk,
  • cloisonné,
  • metal

Dimensions

15.9 x 26.7 cm (6 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches)

Type

  • Fashion,
  • Costume Accessories

Credit

Gift of Marshall H. Gould

Object Number

44.048.1

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Queen of the Insects

December 11, 2009 - May 9, 2010

One of the few natural materials to rival the butterfly’s wings in sheen and luster is the feathers of the kingfisher bird. While their habitat spans the globe, some of the finest variants of this species live in China and Cambodia. The feathers from the kingfisher possess a natural advantage over actual butterfly wings as a surface embellishment: although the wing of a butterfly may be used in jewelry, it must be placed under a glass cover to protect its fine scales from abrasion. The kingfisher feather, on the other hand, is remarkably stable, and retains its luster without encapsulation. The kingfisher feather was often used to mimic the butterfly in outstanding tien tzu–style headdresses, which were traditionally produced in Guangzhou (Canton) and Beijing (Peking). Look closely and you will find several examples of the tian-tsui technique butterfly nestled amongst the seed pearls and semi-precious gemstones decorating this extraordinary work of millinery art.

Ceremonial Costumes

September 13 - October 14, 1973

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Kingfisher Wedding Headdress (dianzi) with the accession number of 44.048.1. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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