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Wednesday 29 December 2010

Edo Needlework Models from Japan

These models of craftmakers from Japan produced in Nagasaki in the Edo period are a precious insight into age old traditions. Although it would be wrong to extrapolate from one culture to another, again it is interesting to note once more the side-ways approach to working on a long cloth stretched on an embroidery frame. This is how I believe long samplers from the 17th century were worked - not from top to bottom or from bottom to top, but from long-edge to long-edge. And it is a man working the embroidery.
While here is a woman making cords.
And here we can see a needle-maker and apprentice at their craft. These models are in the Leiden Museum.

2 comments:

  1. what happened to the Dec 28th puzzle? and the blog for that matter... it was a "twin" of a prior puzzle.... shoot...

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  2. Sorry, Mimi, there is a problem with Blogger's scheduler and the puzzle shouldn't have been published. However you can look forward to it in the next few weeks - it is coming!

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