China, first half of the 20th century, silver.

MAP 16349.

A miniature sculpture depicting women in traditional Chinese attire at a simple weaving loom.

Despite its small size, the sculpture is extremely precise, and shows great attention to detail. The weaver, although measuring only three centimeters, has marked facial features, a traditional hairstyle made of braids rolled into buns on both sides of the head, she is wearing a long tunic, trousers and tiny shoes, and she holds a miniature weaving shuttle in her right hand.

The loom itself is made of metal beams with a rectangular and round cross-section, and the warp threads are made of thin, twisted wires.

This loom – horizontal, without footrests, with only one heddle – was probably used for weaving colorful silk tapestry called Kesi.

The sculpture is a decorative object. It could have been meant to be a souvenir from China, made for the European market, showing traditional crafts in the homeland of silk.