Excuse Me - How Big Is Yours?

Many thanks to MJ for sharing with us this stupendous piece of cross-stitch, currently for sale on eBay. It is from the collection of LiuLin and was worked on 11 ct Aida by a female embroidery artist called Wei Chan Juan, who is 38 years old. She spent 3 years and 2 months stitching this to completion. Nearly 15 foot long and over 2 feet wide it must go down in the Guiness Book of Records as the largest cross stitch embroidery ever. Entitled Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival after a panoramic painting by Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145), it captures the daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng. The theme celebrates the festive spirit and worldly commotion at the Qingming Festival, rather than the holiday's ceremonial aspects, such as tomb sweeping and prayers. The entire piece is worked in hand scroll format and the content reveals the lifestyle of all levels of the society from rich to poor as well as different economic activities in rural areas and the city. It offers glimpses of period clothing and architecture. The original painting has been revered and court artists of subsequent dynasties have made several re-interpretive replicas. The painting is also known for its geometrically accurate images of architecture, boats and bridges, market place and stores, people and scenery. It is often considered to be the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings, and it has been called China's Mona Lisa.

Where the great bridge crosses the river is the center and main focus of the scroll. A great commotion animates the people on the bridge. A boat approaches at an awkward angle with its mast not completely lowered, threatening to crash into the bridge. The crowds on the bridge and along the riverside are shouting and gesturing toward the boat.

And below, you can see the working on the reverse. For more details, click here.