Untitled

Unknown

late 16th–early 17th century · Silk and metallic-thread embroidery on plain-weave silk · Asian Art

Badges with festival symbols were not used at the Chinese court after 1644, and those showing plum blossoms are especially rare. Plum-blossom badges were appropriate for the winter solstice, a festival of the eleventh lunar month. Both the form of the dragon's head seen here and the embroidery technique have close parallels in the finds from Dingling, the tomb of the Ming-dynasty Wanli emperor (r. 1573—1620).

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 16th–early 17th century

Medium

Silk and metallic-thread embroidery on plain-weave silk

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Mrs. Andrew Saul Gift, 1987