Nashishi, also called Gold-Wefted Brocade, is a kind of silk embroidery woven with flat or round gold threads and it is regarded a typical representative of the silk weaving craft of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
Brocade with big areas of golden decorative patterns was very popular in the Yuan Dynasty. This was because wearing clothes made of gold-wefted brocade was the custom and hobby of the Manchu nationality and the rulers of that period greatly promoted the practice to show the wealth and magnificence.
The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty even gathered together brocade artisans several times and set up special bureaus for production of Gold-Wefted Brocade to meet the requirements of the royal court, lieges and government officials.Nashishifeatured compactness of woven lines and orderliness of jacquard weave. It demonstrated the outstanding weaving skills in the Yuan Dynasty and at the same time laid the foundation for the more complicated gold-wefted craft in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
The gold-wefted brocade shawl for Buddhists was made in the Yuan Dynasty, and it is 43 centimeters long. With refined woven lines, orderly jacquard woven patterns and lustrous decorative patterns, the shawl is a rare elaborate works ofNashishimade in the Yuan Dynasty. It is now kept in the Palace Museum.
