“Teardrops” Green Brocade Tie EUC VTG 1940s 1930s Bold Look Art Deco Swing

Description

Length: 45.5”
Width: 3”
A homemade Art Deco necktie in a rich, deep green cascading with rectangular jacquard designs and embellished with brocade in the form of white dots and golden peach teardrops and half-moons. The latter, if only to me alone, remind me of my time living in Taiwan, specifically through the similarity of their shape to so-called moon blocks (Mandarin: 筊杯(jiǎo bēi); Taiwanese Hokkien: 桮 (poe/bwei)) whose clacking as they strike the ground is a familiar sound to anyone who’s spent time in the island’s temples and shrines. Carved from wood and typically painted red and lacquered, the crescent-like blocks wait patiently beside altars, their simple appearance belying their importance as tools of divination. Those seeking divine consultation approach the altar, silently ask a yes-no question, and then drop the blocks to the floor; each block features a rounded side and a flat side, meaning that however they position themselves when they land guides the querent to their answer they seek. Now I can’t guarantee that this tie will provide you with answers to all your queries, but I won’t outright deny the possibility! Manufacturer and retailer unknown, probably homemade, c.1930s. Excellent vintage condition, very faint discoloration to the knotting area and approximately 4-6” from tip.