Five Immortals Wall Hanging

A large wallhanging depicting five immortals engaged in different activities, each in his own universe.

The design is executed in a kesi(or Kossu) which is a Chinese  weaving technique. A loose plain woven grid is further woven with areas of colors which are discontinuous. When done well , a kesi panel looks identical on both sides and one can see the vertical separation between the colors.It is a labour intensive technique that produces very fragile but very precisely drawn textiles. The erosion of the grey areas is due to the highly corrosive nature of the black dye used. It also indicates the age of the piece, dating it to the mid 19th century or earlier.