Qilin Bringing a Child — Nantong Indigo Textile
A child rides a qilin above a phoenix medallion, among gourds, butterflies and scrolling flowers. This worn blue-and-white household textile remains documented after sale.
- Object ID
- TA-NT-0021
- Origin
- Nantong · Attributed to Nantong, Jiangsu, China
- Period
- c. 1950s
- Dating confidence
- estimated
- Material
- Homespun cotton
- Dimensions
- Approx. 119 × 43 cm / 46.9 × 16.9 in
- Technique
- Indigo resist printing · Handwoven ground cloth
- Pattern
- Qilin bringing a child · Phoenix medallion · Gourd · Butterfly · Scrolling flowers
- Colours
- Indigo blue · Natural white
- Washed
- Yes
Object condition
Washed vintage cotton, thin, soft and flexible, with holes, fabric loss, thinning, fading, frayed and raw edges, age-related marks and old repairs. Removed from a larger household or bedding textile. The supplied description also records a dark backing patch. These signs of use are retained.
Identification notes
The owner matched this cloth to Etsy listing 4555542494 and reported it sold on 15 September 2026. Its former local inventory number was 106.
The upper scene shows a child riding a qilin and holding a flowering branch; a round phoenix composition appears below. The detail and wider view come from the same owner-labelled photograph folder.
The supplied listing attributes the piece to Nantong and estimates the 1950s. The exact village, maker, workshop and production year are not documented.
The owner describes traditional stencil-guided resist printing: paste protects the pale motifs while surrounding cotton is dyed. The dye is consistent with indigo but has not been laboratory tested.
Wishes for a flourishing household
The owner reads 麒麟送子 as an auspicious wish for fortunate descendants and family continuity, a subject associated with marriage and bedding textiles.
In the supplied interpretation, gourds evoke fortune and descendants, butterflies longevity, and the phoenix harmony and auspicious beginnings. Continuing vines connect these wishes across the cloth. These are contextual readings rather than a recorded statement from its maker.
