Ge Jia Baby Carrier Panel with Don Son Drum and Swirl Motifs

A black T-shaped panel decked out in cream circles, knots and curling vines.

This baby carrier panel with don son drum and swirl motifs is Ge Jia, from Guizhou Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is cotton. The butterfly is an image important to the Miao creation myth, in which a butterfly born from a maple tree laid twelve eggs that hatched the creatures of the world, including people. The dark ground is covered in white linework, with large round medallions down the center joined by swirling plant-like forms and small birds at the shoulders. A neat border of dashes frames the edge. It is 25 inches wide and 30 long.

Black and cream, and not a bare inch.