Embroidered Dong Baby Carrier Textile

The connection between love and embroidery is nowhere stronger than among the minority peoples of China. Hand-stitched by a mother herself or gifted by the women in her family, the baby carrier not only kept the baby close, it acted as a visual reminder of a family's love and devotion.

This textile panel dates to the mid-19th century and is attributed to a Dong woman of Southern China. The central panel of a baby carrier, this textile would have been sewn to several long fabric straps used tie the carrier to a woman's back. The panel is comprised of a dark indigo satin fabric and embroidered with silk in an all-over pattern of branching trees or flowering plants. The central medallion of dense embroidery in alternating concentric patterns is a common motif in Dong textiles and is often interpreted as the sun and the moon. Set within a simple frame for display, this embroidered baby carrier is a beautiful example of Chinese minority textile art.