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23 pages, 8126 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of Books for Buddhist Embroideries in Seventeenth-Century China: The Cases of Avalokiteśvara and Bodhidharma Designs

by Soohyun Yoon

Religions 2025, 16(4), 422; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040422 - 26 Mar 2025

Viewed by 787

Abstract

Buddhist women in traditional China used embroidery—considered the most feminine art form—to produce images of deities, allowing them to visualize their religious aspirations while adhering to the decorum expected in Confucian society. This paper examines three Buddhist embroidery designs: one visualized in Avalokiteśvara (1619) and two from a catalog of embroidery designs titled A Collection of Scattered Red Clouds (mid-seventeenth century). By analyzing their similarity to the images found in popular illustrated publications of the seventeenth century, this study explores how Buddhist iconography circulated across different media. Through a comparative analysis of the embroidered works and woodblock prints featuring Buddhist deities such as Avalokitesvara and Bodhidharma, I demonstrate that seventeenth-century Chinese women embroiderers often utilized contemporary woodblock prints as models for their devotional embroidered works. The publications that supplied the models for the embroiderers vary from one for a pronounced ritual value—Dharani Sutra of White-robed One—to one that is fundamentally non-religious and educational—a painting manual titled Canon of Painting. This variety highlights the breadth of reading materials that reached the inner chambers of Chinese women, enabling them to engage with religious visual culture beyond their domestic confines and express their spiritual devotion through artistic means. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)

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5 pages, 1621 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Image Detection and Responsivity Analysis of Embroidered Fabric Markers Using Augmented Reality Technology

by Anuja Pathak, Ian Mills and Frances Cleary

Eng. Proc. 2022, 15(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2022015012 - 18 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1528

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the use of augmented reality technology within an E-textile environment. We place particular emphasis on the analysis of key performance and responsiveness metrics when utilizing augmented reality (AR) applications for embroidery-based logo/design image detection and recognition. To support this analysis and validation, we designed and created four test embroidered images, a fabric quilt with embroidered marker images, and a supporting augmented reality application. From an E-textile point of view, we explore the effects of high/low contrast thread colors, diverse light levels (lux measurements), and the range of angles at which the mobile device/camera, with the associated AR application, can be pointed towards the fabric-embroidered marker. This allows us to assess the level of functionality and responsiveness of the AR application and the overall performance in the testing environment, enabling more fluid usability of the AR-enabled E-textile application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles)

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9 pages, 2287 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Investigation on a Coptic Embroidered Panel from the 13th Century “Crucifixion with the Twelve Apostles” (Benaki Museum, Athens)

by Lila de Chaves

Heritage 2021, 4(4), 4335-4343; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4040239 - 13 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3371

Abstract

The “Crucifixion with the twelve Apostles”, a unique Coptic embroidered panel, was on display at the Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece). The representation of the “Crucifixion” with Christ in the center and six Apostles on either side, standing next to each other in frontal poses, is quite a rare one. This rare iconographic image of the twelve Apostles could be linked to the Ascension or the Pentecost. This unique representation of the Crucifixion with the twelve Apostles, which also involves the Ascension, is a one-of-a-kind compositional formula representing Christ’s Death as a triumph over Death, emphasizing, along with the other factors, its non-Chalcedonic origin. Moreover, the interpretation of an inscription, written in at least three languages embroidered in black silk thread, is a matter which confuses the issue even more. In the present study, we will attempt a comprehensive investigation, a detailed description, and interpretation of this rare iconography, based on written and iconographic evidence traced in the history of art heritage objects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Honor of Prof. Liritzis Ioannis: Essays in Archaeology & Archaeometry and the Hellenic Contribution to Egyptology)

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22 pages, 3809 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Embodied Objects: Chūjōhime’s Hair Embroideries and the Transformation of the Female Body in Premodern Japan

by Carolyn Wargula

Religions 2021, 12(9), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090773 - 15 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5773

Abstract

The female body in medieval Japanese Buddhist texts was characterized as unenlightened and inherently polluted. While previous scholarship has shown that female devotees did not simply accept and internalize this exclusionary ideology, we do not fully understand the many creative ways in which women sidestepped the constraints of this discourse. One such method Japanese women used to expand their presence and exhibit their agency was through the creation of hair-embroidered Buddhist images. Women bundled together and stitched their hair into the most sacred parts of the image—the deity’s hair or robes and Sanskrit seed-syllables—as a means to accrue merit for themselves or for a loved one. This paper focuses on a set of embroidered Japanese Buddhist images said to incorporate the hair of Chūjōhime (753?CE–781?CE), a legendary aristocratic woman credited with attaining rebirth in Amida’s Pure Land. Chūjōhime’s hair embroideries served to show that women’s bodies could be transformed into miraculous materiality through corporeal devotional practices and served as evidence that women were capable of achieving enlightenment. This paper emphasizes materiality over iconography and practice over doctrine to explore new insights into Buddhist gendered ritual practices and draws together critical themes of materiality and agency in ways that resonate across cultures and time periods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Women's Religiosity: Contemporary Feminist Perspectives)

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10 pages, 1539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Embroidered Coils for Magnetic Resonance Sensors

by Robert H. Morris, Glen McHale, Tilak Dias and Michael I. Newton

Electronics 2013, 2(2), 168-177; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics2020168 - 18 Apr 2013

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 8279

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging is a widely used technique for medical and materials imaging. Even though the objects being imaged are often irregularly shaped, suitable coils permitting the measurement of the radio-frequency signal in these systems are usually made of solid copper. One problem often encountered is how to ensure the coils are both in close proximity and conformal to the object being imaged. Whilst embroidered conductive threads have previously been used as antennae in mobile telecommunications applications, they have not previously been reported for use within magnetic resonance. In this paper we show that an embroidered single loop coil can be used in a commercial unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance system as an alternative to a solid copper. Data is presented showing the determination of both longitudinal (T₁) and effective transverse (T₂^eff) relaxation times for a flat fabric coil and the same coil conformed to an 8 cm diameter cylinder. We thereby demonstrate the principles required for the wider use of fabric based conformal coils within nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging. Full article

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