The Kesi Art
The Kesi Art
The Kesi (or K’o-ssu) technique was created during the Tang and Sui Dynasties and further improved during the Song time. The meaning of “Kesi” is “engraved silk” – depicting rows of alternating colored threads that are cut at the ends after they are woven – and with a method and elegance that is everywhere known to rival that of European embroidery techniques.
The Kesi is a labor intensive craftsmanship, weaving colored silk by hand on a 2100-thread loom in running the shuttle back and forth on a small surface after which the threads are cut at the end
One day of labour makes only centimeters of fabric at the most per output. An old text stated during the Shunzhi of Qing Dynasty to prove the Kesi craftsman’s work on an royal dragon robe to be a intensive process of 387 days in total from design to completion, which record was a representation on the extraordinary value of the Kesi technique.
Kesi silk is a great gift for loved ones or yourself. It’s an excellent way to decorate your living room, hang in your bedroom or use it as a point of relaxation in your study or maybe have a dress made out of it.
