Blue Window Lattice — Vintage Chinese Printed Cotton
A narrow vintage Chinese cotton with a striking nested-square blue window lattice, printed in multiple blue tones and dark outlines. Attributed to Nantong; originally measured around 340 × 44 cm and offered in 50 cm lengths.
Sold by 50 cm — approx. 44 cm wide
Width: approx. 44 cm · Recorded total: approx. 340 cm
- Quantity 1
- Approx. 50 × 44 cm / 19.7 × 17.3 in
- Quantity 2
- Approx. 100 × 44 cm / 39.4 × 17.3 in
- Quantity 3
- Approx. 150 × 44 cm / 59.1 × 17.3 in
Multiple quantities are supplied as one continuous piece whenever possible. Owner records describe the original cloth as approximately 340 cm long, but current inventory and order limits are controlled by Etsy; the quantities listed above follow the published Etsy description, not independently checked live stock.
- Object ID
- TA-NT-0033
- Origin
- Nantong · Attributed to Nantong, Jiangsu, in the wider Jiangnan region of eastern China
- Period
- Estimated c. 1950s–1960s
- Dating confidence
- estimated
- Material
- Vintage cotton; narrow-width handwoven homespun ground (owner attribution)
- Dimensions
- Original recorded piece approx. 340 × 44 cm / 133.9 × 17.3 inches; listed in 50 cm units
- Technique
- Multicolour folk printing on cotton (printing equipment unverified) · Handwoven cotton ground (owner attribution)
- Pattern
- Nested square window lattice · Repeating diagonal geometric squares
- Colours
- Deep navy · Black · Cobalt blue · Pale blue · Natural white
- Washed
- Yes
Object condition
Washed, cleaned and pressed vintage cotton described as substantial but soft, with uneven woven texture. Photographs show some mild softness or blurring in printed colour and slight variations of registration and coverage, as described by the seller. No major structural damage is reported in the supplied listing. One edge retains a handwritten mark. Please review all photographs including folds, fine weave and reverse side.
Identification notes
The photographs come from the owner’s inventory folder done/131, including a complete length, detail close-ups, folded views, and the underside with its old handwritten mark. The image with an arrow label was not used as a main product photo.
The continuous motif is built from larger squares set diagonally, each containing layers of smaller blue squares and a pale centre. Strong dark diagonal lines create an almost architectural window-grid rhythm.
The design is a multicolour print applied to cotton after weaving; it is not yarn-dyed plaid or jacquard. The owner describes a hand-printed old textile, but no surviving information establishes whether these exact motifs were printed by stencil, screen or another traditional workshop method.
The material is described as substantial yet soft and showing handwoven irregularities. Nantong origin and a 1950s–1960s date are evidence-based owner attributions rather than a documented workshop or authenticated production year.
An old handwritten mark is preserved on one corner. It may have helped someone identify or track the cloth during production or trade, but no name, workshop or batch identification has been confirmed.
Possible creative uses include bags, small cushions, wall-hung panels, framed art, patchwork, slow stitching and garment panels. The 44 cm width should be considered before cutting.
Windows within windows
The geometrical repeat layers squares within squares and turns them diagonally into a dense all-over lattice, giving the old fabric an unexpectedly contemporary, almost modernist graphic effect.
The staggered blue tones, natural-white centres and dark outlines form the sense of a little window repeated across the surface. “Blue Window Lattice” is a descriptive Tubu Atlas/seller name, not a historically documented folk designation.
A subtle variety in line weight, ink edges and yarn texture remains visible when the cloth is examined close up. These material variations are part of the old textile’s individual character.
