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Chinese Kingfisher Ornaments
Author: © Dr Sheena Burnell 2009
“The halcyon kingfisher nests in the South Sea realm
Cock and hen in groves of jewelled trees
How could they know that the thoughts of lovely women
Covet them as highly as gold?”
Ch’en Tzu-ang (661-702) Translation by Paul W. Kroll
Since the beginning of civilization humans have sought to adorn and decorate themselves, and the Chinese were no exception.
Inspired by the beauty and variety of the birds and animals around them they sought from the very earliest times to emulate these seemingly perfect creatures by first adorning themselves with their pelts and plumes then with increasing sophistication to embellish the clothes and accessories they wore, finally establishing by the time of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) a highly-stylised and visible social and political hierarchy based upon their perception of the intrinsic characteristics of these creatures and famously epitomised by the bird and animal rank badges of that era.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, headgear and hairstyles evolved in the most spectacular manner, and the crests and head plumes of the birds the Chinese encountered provided inspiration over the centuries for an astonishing variety of hats, crowns, tiaras, hairstyles and hair ornaments.
Drawn by their iridescent beauty, many races and peoples have used feathers as adornment or accessory, and the earliest humans, including the Chinese, probably initially sought to decorate themselves using entire feathers from the bird; we are all familiar with pictures of races right up until modern times such as the Papua New Guinean tribes, which continue to do so.
It is only the Chinese however who evolved beyond this to discover a way to incorporate the colour and sheen, which they so admired in the beautiful feathers, into something far more wearable, sophisticated and elegant (Hartman, R., 1980, p80). (more…)
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