1934 Panoramic Brocade View of the Bund, Shanghai on silk

An exceptional discovery, this is a woven silk illustration or view of Shanghai China's Bund. The Bund, which runs along Zhongshan Road on the western side of the Huangpu River, was once part of the Shanghai International Settlement and was constructed between 1890 and 1935. For decades it was the center of trade in Shanghai and is today a protected architectural heritage site. This view, which is woven in silk brocade, illustrates the Bund around 1934. We have been able to date it by the inclusion of the Art Deco apartment complex, Broadway Mansions (Shanghai Mansions), which was constructed between 1930 and 1934, and an archaic character style that was rarely used after 1937. Although there is no attribution, most illustrative Shanghai themed weavings such as this were produced as tourist souvenirs prior to World War II by the Hangzhou Raw Silk Embroidery Company in Hangzhou, China. Extremely rare - the only known example.