Pattern & Texture :Ethnographic textiles

Textiles from Indonesia and India have always interested me. There are a few of my favorites on this page - so inspirational for designing patterns to use one's art. The color combinations are exciting for those of us raised in the USA, where marketing & industry determines what we will see ( and come to prefer) color wise.


At left, an antique or old vintage textile from Indonesia. Articulate, soft, beautiful.

ABOVE, a detail from the silk shawl shown below. Look at the nicely defined design, perfect tension, vibrant color. So beautiful.

ABOVE, half of the original piece. The color and balance in this old weaving is fabulous. Who originally wove this, who purchased and used it? The opposite half duplicates what you see here - Ill share a close up at the end of this blog

A newer vintage textile from the Naga tribe of India. This runner is almost 7 feet long and here you see 1/2 the original piece.I like the strong, confidant design. Simple yet the subtle variations in vegetal dyed fibers have softened the overall appearance. The bright red tasseled fringe was added later, but somehow, when seen in person, it all works. 

 OLD VINTAGE CAMBODIAN TEXTILE, SILK.  At first the design is almost psychedelic, but within seconds stylized figures emerge. A human figure with upraised hands, fingers splayed, birds, a roof with beams overhead. What was occurring in the life of the person who wove this? What stories are captured forever within the grid of warp and weft?  


               And below, a detailed look at the woven silk. 

Meet some of my favorite ethnographic beads!

African trade beads, above, originally made in Venice and Murano during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The photo is enlarged to display the detail and colors. 

Millefiori, a bead with a past

Sometimes the beads above are called Viking beads due to their resemblance to a bead type found in ancient Viking necklaces. They remind me of the intricate designs seen on traditional ethnographic  textiles from Central Asia, and some historic Sumatran ikat fabrics displayed in museums.  The fine specimens above are vintage, and similar ones are made today, in limited quantities. (Most contemporary examples aren't as nice as those above, and have muddy, dull colors, simple patterning and sloppy application). These beads are glass, based on a type of antique Indonesian bead dating to 700 - 1400  CE, the end of the Majaphat dynasty. Majaphat beads are named after that dynasty. They are also known by the following names:  Jatim  (Jawa + Timur = East Java) and Pelangi, a word for rainbow in Indonesian.

Late 20th century polymer clay beads designed and crafted by American polymer clay artisan Audrey Forcier

*Those unfamiliar with historical and ethnographic beads have been known to insist, often vehemently that Majaphat beads with polymer clay beads, seen above, probably because of the millifiore patterning. Polymer clay beads are made much the same as glass millefiore, but glass is heavier with specific tactile characteristics. Polymer clay is light, and just feels different. If you've worked with both styles of bead often, you'll understand what I mean, but its difficult to describe. Polymer clay and glass beads come in many finishes and sizes, so in photos it can be difficult to tell. When touching and holding them, however, experienced beaders know immediately which is which.

Above, the dark glass core of these antique trade beads
is clearly visible beneath the mille fiore slice mosaic.

Millefiori beads are sliced from rods (or 'canes') of glass, and called murrine. Click HERE to see a series of photos demonstrating the traditional way these beads are made in Italian workshops.  


The canes are heated in a furnace, pulled until quite thin, carefully so the cross section design is not lost, and sliced when it cools. Cane is plain on the outside, but the slices will have a pattern on each slice resembling a detailed flower or kaleidoscope pattern.  After slicing, the slices are pressed to a molten glass background, and become millefiori ('many flowers' in Italian) glass beads. After the thin slices of murrine are gently added to the surface of the beads, they are heated and the patches fuse onto the cane. See photo, above left. A glass artisan will be able to offer a more detailed explanation, or one of the online Youtube tutorials.

     

Contemporary (oval beads) and vintage Italian
millefiore (tubular) beads.

Antique trade beads can be quite large. They
have a dramatic appearance and show well
with a variety of other beads and materials.

Above design (sold) by Helena Nelson -Reed

Necklace design and creation by Helena Nelson -Reed

Millefiori polymer clay beads can be created the same way, but the materials (glass vs polymer) exhibit different tactile qualities and mass. At left, the beads are incorporated into one of my recent necklaces. 


The vintage coin silver pendant is a heavy piece, and balanced it with the
mujaphat beads and brilliant lapiz lazuli rough cut nuggets and rounds. It needed just one more something...so I added the vintage carnelian and lapiz lazuli drops t its skirt. Now it feels right, with the warm carnelian at the base accenting the warm shades in the glass beads above.

Contemporary Mujaphat, lapis lazuli and carnelian beads, 
vintage Afghan tassel pendant
Necklace and photography by Helena Nelson Reed 

The colors of mujaphat seem to be more subtle  than the festive, dramatic antique and Italian millefiore. I've a small hoard of muhaphat glass beads and just love working with them. 


They are quite attractive paired with the silk road colors of lapis lazuli, carnelian and turquoise. 


This design is inspired by traditional woven Central Asian carpets and saddle bags in their beautiful hues of madder, carnelian, and deep blue.

*  Bead discussions are known to become heated when passionate collectors discuss bead pedigree, we can become quite emotional over this topic!