A 135 × 135 cm square shawl in 40 momme 真丝宋锦 — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Song brocade — woven with lotus leaves and blooms across an olive and chartreuse ground, with a dark charcoal reverse, across 100% mulberry silk. Every edge is finished by hand in wound gold thread. Slight variations of ±3 cm may occur due to the handcrafted nature of each piece.
DESIGN
绿荷菡萏 — Green Lotus in Full Bloom — takes its name and its spirit from a couplet by Li Shangyin, the great Tang dynasty poet: 惟有绿荷红菡萏，卷舒开合任天真. Only the green lotus and red water lily, he wrote, open and close freely in their natural state — unbothered by season or circumstance, following their own nature without apology. In classical Chinese poetry, the lotus holds particular weight. It rises from still water untouched by it; it suggests purity arrived at through immersion rather than avoidance.
The composition renders the lotus as Song brocade weavers would have done: with structural precision, not painterly looseness. Broad lotus leaves — 荷叶 — move across the field in overlapping layers of olive, gold, and yellow-green. Among them, 菡萏 — lotus buds and blooms in a cooler pink — appear at intervals, neither crowded nor sparse. The palette is distinctive: warm and botanical, with an almost herbal quality that reads differently from the more familiar red-and-gold register of Chinese brocade. The reverse is dark charcoal, and so the shawl has two quite different characters — one open and luminous, one quiet and composed.
The gold thread edge, wound by hand, draws the boundary of each face with a single fine line of gold.
THE CRAFT — 40 Momme 真丝宋锦 Song Brocade
宋锦 — Song brocade — takes its name from the Song dynasty, during which it reached its highest development, and is today recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The design is not printed but woven: warp and weft threads are arranged so that the lotus composition is structural, integral to the cloth. The pattern and the ground are inseparable. As a result the surface has a depth and relief that no printed silk can replicate — the lotus leaves catch light differently from the blooms, and both read differently again as the shawl moves.
At 40 momme, this is a cloth of real presence. It falls in clean, substantial folds and holds its shape on the shoulders without pinning or adjusting. The weight also provides warmth, so the shawl serves across autumn, winter, and transitional months. The hand-wound gold thread edge is applied individually: the thread is wound tightly around the folded edge by hand, producing a fine, even border that catches light as the shawl moves.
GUIDE
At 135 cm the shawl drapes fully across both shoulders, folds into a wide triangular stole, or wraps as a generous covering. The olive and chartreuse face is unusual in the context of Chinese silk — a palette that works particularly well against earth tones, warm neutrals, and deep greens.
- Camel, tan, and warm ivory — the olive ground reads with warmth and botanical character
- Deep green and forest tones — tonal, layered, a composed arrangement
- Black and charcoal — the lotus composition reads with clarity against a dark ground
- The charcoal reverse offers a quieter option for occasions where the full colour is too much
CARE
Song brocade at 40 momme deserves the care of an experienced silk specialist. Entrust this piece to a dry cleaner with knowledge of heavy woven silks. Do not bleach, machine wash, wring, or tumble dry. Do not iron above 110°C. Dry flat in shade, away from direct sunlight. Store folded in a breathable bag; avoid hanging, which may distort the weave over time. See our Silk Care Guide for full instructions.
DELIVERY & RETURNS
See our Delivery Policy and Refund Policy.
GIFTING
Each shawl arrives in luxury gift packaging with a coordinating bag and complimentary greeting card. The lotus has carried meaning in Chinese culture for over a thousand years — a gift with a poem behind it, and a craft tradition that UNESCO has seen fit to preserve. Gift recipients may exchange within the standard return period.
