Tang Red 17 Crane and Deer Song Brocade Bag

Your Tang Heritage Bag will include:

1. Gold Metal Authenticity Card (To Certify A Tang Heritage Original)

2. Unique Engraved Serial Number

3. Complimentary Premium Gift Packaging

Crane and deer share the spring (鹤鹿同春) is one of the great auspicious pairings of Chinese decorative art, and like most of them it is built on a pun. The crane stands for long life, the deer (鹿) sounds exactly like emolument (禄), the salary of an official, and the two together were read as liuhe tongchun (六合同春), all six directions of the world in spring at once. Qing court porcelain, lacquer and dragon robes returned to the pair constantly, usually setting both animals among cloud scrolls and lingzhi so the blessing would be unmistakable. The Tang Red 17 Crane and Deer Song Brocade Bag carries the pairing in lavender and gold on ivory, and it is made to be kept.

The Motif · Crane and Deer (鹤鹿同春)

A lobed medallion holds the centre of the panel, and around it cranes in lavender grey fly with their necks extended while spotted deer in soft gold leap between drifting ruyi clouds. The composition is symmetrical in the imperial manner, with the creatures mirrored across a vertical axis, yet the palette pulls it somewhere much gentler. Lavender and butter gold on ivory is a modern reading of a Qing subject, and it lets a densely populated pattern sit lightly. Look closely and the small forms resolve one by one, cloud, wing, antler, tail.

Song Brocade Weaving

Song brocade (宋锦) has been woven in Suzhou for roughly 1,000 years and was the cloth chosen to mount imperial paintings and calligraphy. That role shaped everything about it: it is flatter and more supple than other brocades, restrained in colour, and built on a three-harness twill ground with supplementary wefts carrying the pattern. Figural subjects such as cranes and deer are the hardest test of the weave, because an animal has a silhouette to preserve and a repeat has to be planned so that no crane is cut in half across the width of the cloth. The technique was inscribed on China's first national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

Because the pattern is structural, the cranes and deer keep their edges under wear in a way a printed figure never does. Panels are cut to place the central medallion square on the face of the bag, then bound in cowhide at every edge, which protects the weave where a textile bag is most likely to fray.

Key Features

• All six directions in spring. 鹤鹿同春 was read at the Qing court as liuhe tongchun (六合同春), a wish for the whole world in flower.
• Longevity and standing. The crane carries long life, while the deer (鹿) puns on emolument (禄), the reward of an honourable career.
• From the Book of Songs. The deer of the Xiaoya ode is the oldest image of welcome and good company in Chinese poetry.
• A Qing subject, reset. Lavender grey and butter gold on ivory replace the strong court palette, keeping a dense pattern quiet.
• The hardest thing to weave. Figural motifs demand a repeat planned so that no creature is cut across the width of the cloth.
• Structured to hold its shape. A cowhide frame, bound edges and base studs keep the square silhouette upright when the bag is set down.

Premium Materials

• Premium cowhide leather, used for the body, the rolled top handle and the bound edges, chosen for its close grain and its ability to hold a square silhouette.
• Song brocade (宋锦) panels, woven in Suzhou on a twill ground with supplementary pattern wefts. 
• Light gold-tone hardware, ring links at the handle, side rings for the strap and protective studs at the base, weighted rather than hollow.

Product Details

• Dimensions: Width 17cm, Depth 9cm, Height 16cm
• Handle height: 8.5cm, measuring 24.5cm to the top of the handle
• Weight: 0.52kg
• Exterior: Song brocade panels framed in premium cowhide leather
• Interior: Main compartment with a concealed zip pocket
• Carry: Rolled top handle, with a detachable adjustable strap for shoulder and crossbody wear 
• Hardware: Light gold-tone, ring links, side rings and base studs
• Colourways: Ivory White (米白)

Every Bag Is One of a Kind

Each panel is cut by hand from a woven length, which means no two bags carry the pattern in exactly the same position. The central medallion on your bag may sit a little higher, lower or fuller than the one photographed, and the colour may read differently under warm light and daylight, while the overall aesthetic stays faithful to what you see. Measurements are taken by hand, so a variance of 1 to 2 cm is normal. These are the marks of a piece made by people rather than machines alone.

Authenticity and Craft

Every Tang Heritage piece arrives with a metal authenticity card, engraved with its own unique serial number and logged in our records, verifiable directly with us at any time. It is your assurance that what you carry is genuine, traceable, and made to be kept. For the length of your life, and perhaps for the generations that follow.