Untitled

Unknown

late 17th–early 18th century · Silk, metallic thread, and feather-thread supplementary weft-patterned silk satin · Asian Art

The bear represents the fifth military rank. While the birds used in Chinese rank badges correspond to actual species, the animals usually do not. Instead, many are fantastic animals, and all were chosen for their supernatural power. Bears on rank badges do not resemble bears in nature. Instead, they often feature an upswept mane, an emphasis on the paws (very long in this example), and an extended tail.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 17th–early 18th century

Medium

Silk, metallic thread, and feather-thread supplementary weft-patterned silk satin

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Anonymous Gift, 1943