清 緙絲壽字屏條|Panel with Longevity (Shou) Characters

Unknown

19th century · Silk and metallic thread tapestry (kesi) · Asian Art

Writing the character for longevity (shou) in one hundred different forms has a long tradition in China. The earliest example, a stone carving dated 1229, still survives in Guangxi Province, and highly stylized examples are found in all media from later dynasties. Here, the character shou is reproduced in ten different forms, and the purported source for each form is given above in smaller characters. These panels may have once been part of a set of ten hangings with one hundred such characters. Although the gold thread has abraded, it’s not hard to imagine how marvelous and luminous this work would have been when it was displayed within the original set at a luxurious birthday celebration.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Silk and metallic thread tapestry (kesi)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Alice Boney, 1945