TianTsui or DianCui ηΉηΏ "dotting with kingfishers" is a style of Chinese art featuring kingfisher feathers.
For 2,000 years, the Chinese have been using the iridescent blue feathers of kingfisher birds as an inlay for fine art objects and adornment, from hairpins, headdresses, and fans to panels and screens. While Western art collectors have focused on other areas of Chinese art including porcelain, lacquer ware, sculpture, cloisonnΓ©, silk and paintings, kingfisher art is relatively unknown outside of China.
With kingfisher birds becoming a protected species, contemporary artisans have turned to innovative substitutes instead of kingfisher feathers, such as blue-dyed silk and synthetic feathers.
A miniature model of a Chinese garden, colored with blue kingfisher feathers. Qing dynasty, 19th century.
