04 October 2009

Spider Silk Tapestry











We took the kids to the American Museum of Natural History on Monday, as they all had the day off from school. I was very excited to see this weaving that I mentioned a week or so ago. They seem to have hidden it off in a side entrance and have no signs directing you there (we had to ask at the desk), but it was neat to see.

I wish they had had a specimen of the spiders (preserved, you know, not live) since some of them did die during the production of this textile, or at least a life-size picture, since the spiders are, apparently, quite large. There is a picture of two of them in someone hands on the second page of this NYT article.

In the tassel picture above I hope you get an idea of how fine the threads are (and I apologize for the blur in the shot - the lighting, glass case, and angle conspired to make a good shot virtually impossible). It was really beautiful and mind-boggling to think that it was made from spiders' silk. I loved the saffron yellow color - rich enough for royalty for certain.

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