Starlit Tide — Chongming Dotted-Stripe Tubu
A quiet Chongming handwoven cotton with a deep indigo ground and fine pale dotted stripes, named Starlit Tide for the way its woven points seem to move across dark water.
- Object ID
- TA-CM-0006
- Origin
- Chongming · Shanghai / lower Yangtze region, China
- Period
- c. 1950s–1970s
- Dating confidence
- estimated
- Material
- Handspun-style cotton
- Dimensions
- Approx. 41 cm wide; total length not supplied in the provided description
- Technique
- Handwoven homespun · Yarn-dyed weave
- Pattern
- Fine dotted stripe / willow-stripe pattern
- Colours
- Deep indigo blue · Natural ivory
Object condition
Good vintage condition overall, with age-related and handmade character. The supplied listing notes small marks, uneven yarns, slubs, fading, loose fibres, old fold lines, edge wear and weaving irregularities as possible features of the cloth.
Identification notes
The supplied listing identifies this as vintage Chongming tubu from the Shanghai / lower Yangtze water-town region, estimated to date from around the 1950s–1970s. The attribution is based on narrow width, old indigo tone, handspun-style yarn, visible slubs and soft fuzzy fibres rather than documented maker provenance.
The pattern is woven into the cloth, not printed. Fine pale dotted lines cross the deep indigo ground and can read visually as starlight, rain or small waves when the surface moves.
The listing describes the pattern locally as a fine dotted stripe and notes related terms such as willow-stripe cloth or an ant-like dotted stripe pattern. Tubu Atlas groups these under a descriptive dotted-stripe category rather than asserting one universal historic name.
The texture is described as dense, matte, softly structured and slightly nubby, with visible cotton fibres, uneven yarns and small slubs. The fabric has body but is not presented as harsh or stiff.
Suggested uses in the supplied listing include bags, new-Chinese-style garments, tea textiles, table runners, book covers, collars and cuffs, patchwork, slow stitching, visible mending, wall display, interior styling, collecting and textile study.
Care from the supplied listing: for washable projects, test a small corner first and wash gently by hand in cold water only if needed. Wash separately; avoid bleach, long soaking and tumble drying; air dry in shade.
Why Tubu Atlas calls it Starlit Tide
The name is a contemporary curatorial name rather than a documented historic motif term. It refers to the contrast between the dark indigo ground and the scattered pale woven points.
《星澜》 / Starlit Tide — 水巷微澜映晚蓝。 Ripples in the water lanes reflect the evening blue.
白点疏疏似月残。 Scattered pale dots drift like the fading moon.
最是江南收不尽，一痕秋水入青衫。 Most of all, the grace of Jiangnan cannot be gathered whole, until a trace of autumn water slips into an indigo robe.
