Dragon Scale Grid — Jiangnan Figured Homespun
A wine-red and natural-white figured cloth whose raised linked cells are catalogued as a dragon-scale grid, giving the surface a dense, tactile relief.
- Object ID
- TA-JN-0003
- Origin
- Jiangnan · Likely southern Jiangsu
- Period
- Mid-20th century
- Dating confidence
- estimated
- Material
- Handspun cotton
- Dimensions
- Approx. 350 × 44 cm total available length; sold by 50 cm
- Technique
- Handwoven homespun · Figured weave
- Pattern
- Dragon-scale grid · Geometric lattice
- Colours
- Wine red · Natural off-white
- Washed
- No
Object condition
Good vintage condition overall with the uneven handspun yarn, slubs, soft edge wear, fold marks and woven irregularities expected of old household cloth.
Identification notes
The pattern is woven rather than printed and depends on a more complex figured structure than ordinary plain weave.
The working name 龙鳞纹 — dragon-scale pattern — describes the linked scale-like units seen across the surface.
In current catalog interpretation, dragon-scale imagery carries associations of protection, strength, blessing and prosperity, while the linked repeat suggests continuity.
The exact village, maker and production year are unknown.
A raised geometric field with dragon imagery
This object shows how an auspicious animal association can be embedded in an abstract woven structure rather than represented pictorially.
The relief surface is especially useful for teaching the difference between printed decoration and pattern produced through loom structure.
