Chinese Embroidered Silk Infant’s Tiger-Head Hat with Tail, Gold-Thread Face & Ribbon Flowers

Description

Overview

This is a small Chinese infant’s tiger-head hat, known as hutoumao, in the Northern China folk tradition. Hats like this were traditionally made for newborns and very young children, and worn at milestones and festivals. The fierce tiger face was believed to scare away evil spirits and give the child the tiger’s strength. With its goldwork face, embroidered tiger body, upright tail and trembling ribbon flowers, this example is likely early-to-mid 20th century. It comes from the Craft World Tours Collection, assembled over four decades by Tom and Sherry Wilson.

Design & Craftsmanship

Function & Form: An infant-sized cap with a sculpted tiger face at the front and a padded tail rising from the back. It measures about 8″ x 9″ laid flat and weighs 5 oz.

Artistry & Ornamentation:

• The eyes are large black velvet pupils ringed in couched gold-colored metallic thread, set in plush teal surrounds.
• Coiled metallic-thread brows and a banded gold nose bridge sit above a pink embroidered nose, couched lattice cheeks and a pink cord mouth line.
• The forehead is wrapped in green thread in horizontal bands, and the rolled teal ears have fringed green silk edges.
• The teal satin sides are embroidered in satin stitch with the tiger’s striped body, legs and paws, together with auspicious emblems: a double gourd and a lozenge charm tied with flowing ribbons.
• A padded, thread-wrapped tail ends in a fringed, embroidered tip.
• The crown carries silk ribbon-work flowers and buds in pink, cream and purple, with a teal bow. More buds hang on wrapped wire springs at the cheeks, so they tremble with movement.
• Pink, yellow and red silk tassels hang at the sides.

Structural Base: Lined in pale blue cotton, with yellow bound edges. There are no maker’s marks or labels.

Condition Report

Surface Condition:

• Fraying and tangling of the green silk fringe at the ears and tail.
• Some creasing, fading and light soiling to the ribbon flowers.
• A few small green-thread repair stitches and light soiling inside the lining.
• The teal satin and the embroidery remain vivid overall.

Structural Integrity: The face, eyes, tail, spring-mounted flowers and tassels appear complete and stable. This item is sold “as-is” with all associated patina and wear inherent to its age and history as part of the Craft World Tours Collection.