Featherwork in Early and Medieval China: The First Fifteen Centuries

Abstract

<p>There is a long tradition of featherwork in China. The earliest written records date to around 500 BCE, and featherwork is still produced today. Setting aside the use of plumes, which have their own special history, early and medieval records document three main types of featherwork: flexible base, rigid base, and textiles produced from spinning feather filaments into thread. Since there are no surviving examples from such an early date, scholars are entirely dependent on written evidence and comparison with later pieces to understand what such featherwork would have looked like. Featherwork was produced exclusively for members of the imperial family, the aristocracy, and the occasional plutocrat rich enough to afford such amazing objects. In a very hierarchical society, wearing items made from feathers traded across vast distances at great expense in the teeth of all concerns about over-exploiting the natural world, proved to be a potent symbol of power.<br></p>