Blue Jiaxie, an indigo clamp resist dyeing tradition in southern Zhejiang, China, combines opera imagery and auspicious motifs on bridal textiles. Although previous studies have documented its techniques and symbolic meanings, the relationship between pictorial organisation and marriage customs remains insufficiently explored. This study applies Panofsky’s iconological framework to examine how material form, motif combinations and bridal use shape interpretation. Qualitative analysis draws on selected textile images and published technical, ethnographic and visual studies. Preiconographic description examines production, colour, motif features and composition. Iconographic analysis identifies human figures, animals, plants and geometric patterns through their attributes and documented associations. Iconological interpretation situates these subjects within regional wedding customs, opera traditions, popular beliefs and agrarian life. The findings suggest that central scenes, subsidiary motifs and borders jointly express wishes for marital harmony, descendants, prosperity and protection. Bridal use connects familiar theatrical and religious subjects with expectations concerning family life, while craft processes shape their visual presentation. Blue Jiaxie thus functions as a vernacular pictorial medium linking regional narratives with domestic aspirations. By connecting visual analysis with social context, the study contributes to understanding the cultural significance of traditional textiles and provides a basis for their heritage interpretation, documentation and informed design adaptation.
Blue Jiaxie, an indigo clamp resist dyeing tradition in southern Zhejiang, China, combines opera imagery and auspicious motifs on bridal textiles. Although previous studies have documented its techniques and symbolic meanings, the relationship between pictorial organisation and marriage customs remains insufficiently explored. This study applies Panofsky’s iconological framework to examine how material form, motif combinations and bridal use shape interpretation. Qualitative analysis draws on selected textile images and published technical, ethnographic and visual studies. Preiconographic description examines production, colour, motif features and composition. Iconographic analysis identifies human figures, animals, plants and geometric patterns through their attributes and documented associations. Iconological interpretation situates these subjects within regional wedding customs, opera traditions, popular beliefs and agrarian life. The findings suggest that central scenes, subsidiary motifs and borders jointly express wishes for marital harmony, descendants, prosperity and protection. Bridal use connects familiar theatrical and religious subjects with expectations concerning family life, while craft processes shape their visual presentation. Blue Jiaxie thus functions as a vernacular pictorial medium linking regional narratives with domestic aspirations. By connecting visual analysis with social context, the study contributes to understanding the cultural significance of traditional textiles and provides a basis for their heritage interpretation, documentation and informed design adaptation.
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