Nankeen (also called Nankeen cloth) is a kind of pale yellowish cloth originally made in
Nanjing
Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400.
Situated in the Yang ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
from a yellow variety of cotton, but subsequently manufactured from ordinary
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
that is then dyed.
[''Oxford English Dictionary'']
The term blue nankeen describes hand-printed
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
of artistic refinement and primitive simplicity, which originated on the
Silk Road
The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
over three thousand years ago.
Hand-carved
stencil
Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object. The holes allow the pigment to reach only some parts of the surface creatin ...
s, originally made from wood but now from heavy paper, are prepared and a mix of
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed.
Soy is a key source o ...
flour and
slaked lime
Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca( OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime ( calcium oxide) is mixed with water. Annually, approxim ...
is applied through the openings of the stencil onto the 100% cotton fabric. When dry, the fabric is then dipped numerous times into the large tubs containing the
indigo
InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
dye. After the desired color is achieved and the fabric has dried, the paste is scraped off, revealing the white patterns on the blue cloth. The fabric is then washed, dried, and ironed before fabrication.
Derived uses
Nankeen also refers to:
*Trousers made of nankeen (singular or plural).
*Pale yellow or buff; the color of nankeen.
*
Bobbin lace
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of yarn, thread, which are wound on #Bobbins, bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pi ...
made from unbleached silk (usually in plural form nankins).
*Kind of usually blue and white porcelain of Chinese style, originally exported to Europe from Nanjing and later copied by European potters.
*Of the colour of nankeen; pale yellow or buff; also from their colour, part of the name of many animals and plants (chiefly Australian).
**Nankeen gum, the bimble box, ''
Eucalyptus populnea
''Eucalyptus populnea'', commonly known as poplar box, bimble box or bimbil box, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the trunk and branches, egg-shaped, elliptic ...
'', a tree of eastern Australia having a fibrous bark and glossy green leaves.
**
Nankeen kestrel, also called nankeen hawk, the Australian kestrel, ''Falco cenchroides'', a small falcon found in Australia and neighboring islands.
**
Nankeen night heron, also called nankeen bird, nankeen crane, nankeen heron, rufous night heron or its scientific name ''Nycticorax caledonicus'', a stocky nocturnal heron found in Australasia and Indonesia
See also
*
Silk Road
The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
References
External links
''New York Times'' Travel Guide: Chinese Printed Blue Nankeen Exhibition HallThe Nankeen dying processT Shirt Printing Singapore
{{fabric
Printed fabrics
Textile arts
Nanjing
Chinese clothing