SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: One ancient woven work is nearly two thousand years old. The small piece of cloth was made in Egypt in the fourth century. It shows a woman wearing green clothing, with a neckpiece of flowers and green leaves. In one hand, the woman is carrying a bundle of grain. Experts believe she represents the Earth, or one of its seasons. Either way, the artist used green to express nature’s richness.
STEVE EMBER: Until the creation of man-made dyes in the late eighteen hundreds, it was difficult to make clothing and cloth products in the color green.
REBECCA STEVENS: “Green is a very difficult color to make as a dye, to dye a textile green, because it is not permanent. Despite the fact the world is green, covered with plants and trees, there is no one natural dye that makes green, a colorfast, permanent dark green.”
STEVE EMBER: But Ms. Stevens says artisans were inventive in finding an answer around this problem.
REBECCA STEVENS: “Cultures around the world came up with the same concept and that is, to dye the textile yellow, and then dye it with a blue which was often indigo or woad, mostly indigo, and that is how they would achieve green.”
STEVE EMBER: One skilful artist in nineteenth century China found an inventive way to create green. The artist used feathers from a bird – the peacock - to create a shiny green color. The very detailed cloth was probably used in Buddhist ceremonies.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25