Sleeveless garment

竹衣

1800s
Overall: 56.5 x 56.5 cm (22 1/4 x 22 1/4 in.)
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Location: not on view

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According to Nhat Quyen Nguyen, CMA graduate intern in textile conservation, this garment is made of at least 3,490 cut bamboo pieces.

Description

This loose-fitting bamboo vest is a summer undershirt, made of an estimated 3,490 fine bamboo tubes. The overall structure of the vest is held together with cotton thread. Such vests were worn under an outer garment to allow the air to circulate and protect the outer garment from soilage, especially in the hot and humid climate of southern China. Textual evidence indicates that officials during the 1500s in Jiangnan wore bamboo vests from Jiangsu province, one of the production centers.
Sleeveless garment

Sleeveless garment

1800s

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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