Chinese Embroidery Textile Rank Badge Golden Qilin Bats Mandarin Square Qing 19C
£300.00
Inventory Code: INV5306
Object: Framed Mandarin Rank Badge
Material: Silk textile with embroidered
Origin: China
Period: Qing Dynasty
Date: 19th Century
Decoration: First Rank qilin with bats, clouds, flowers, waves, rocks and sun disc on a red ground
Marked: Unmarked
Measurements:
Height: 12.0 in / 30.5 cm
Width: 12.4 in / 31.5 cm
Condition:
GOOD (4/5) - Attractive antique condition with expected age-related wear, minor thread wear and light surface wear. Presented in a later gilt frame. Please review the photos carefully for more details.
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DESCRIPTION
A colorful 19th century Chinese Qing Dynasty embroidered Mandarin rank badge centered by a qilin, an emblem associated with First Rank status. The mythical creature is depicted on a vivid red ground amid stylized rocks, rolling waves, clouds and a sun disc. Bats, flowering plants and further auspicious motifs enrich the composition, worked in a varied palette of blue, green, orange, cream and red threads. A geometric and scrolling embroidered border surrounds the scene. The textile is presented in a gilt frame with a Chinese-style pierced metal hanging mount.
COLLECTOR’S NOTE
Mandarin squares, or rank badges, were worn on the robes of officials in imperial China to indicate rank and status. The qilin represented First Rank within the traditional Qing hierarchy, while bats and other auspicious motifs carried associations with good fortune and prosperity, adding further symbolic interest to the composition.
NOTES
Please review all photos carefully as they form part of the description.