Lady's cloud collar

Colorful silk shawls worn by eighth-century court ladies became a standard form of dress for centuries. By the 1600s, shawls transformed into many styles and forms to drape strikingly over the shoulder and neck. The use of an embroidered collar piece became popular with women and children, not only for its enchanting colors and motifs but also for its small size, which made it easier to embroider.

The combination of naturalistic and stylized designs is apparent in the embroidery of flowers. Symbolic of prosperity, femininity, fertility, and purity, the peony, lotus, and orchid were frequently used as signature themes, as on this collar. A pair of butterflies, flying toward the orchid along the collar’s edges, evokes lovely images of a garden. Shades of red, pink, and green on black silk make a striking combination and attest to the artistic skill of the embroiderer.