Unknown Maker, Chinese

Pomo people traditionally hunted quail for sustenance in their homelands of northern California, often weaving their feathers into their tightly woven baskets. Adorned with beadwork, quillwork, tin cones, and dyed chicken feathers, the Inunaina case at right stored an awl, a pointed tool used for making clothing and moccasins. Indigenous people of North America have used wild bird feathers for adornment for thousands of years. Since chickens were introduced to tribal communities as food, their feathers have also been utilized.

Across centuries, the Chinese have prized kingfisher feathers for their brilliant colors, using them to embellish hairpins, earrings, and headdresses (at left) for aristocratic women. The demand for the iridescent feathers however, led to a great depletion of these birds.

-SB/WC

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.