Untitled

Unknown

Date unknown · Tapestry-woven (kesi) silk · Asian Art

During the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), on the occasion of the Duanwu Festival (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, now celebrated as the Dragon Boat Festival), the ministry of rites would present to the imperial court fans made of silk tapestry (kesi) with various pictorial subjects, including dragons in clouds. This fan surface, with a dragon breathing out a flaming pearl above waves, is a vestige of that tradition. The woven inscription indicates that it was a gift to a brother-in-law.

Artist

Unknown

Date

Date unknown

Medium

Tapestry-woven (kesi) silk

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

From the Collection of A. W. Bahr, Purchase, Fletcher Fund, 1947