Untitled

Unknown

early 18th century · Silk and metallic-thread embroidery on silk satin · Asian Art

The length of this chair strip is divided into segments, with a different design for each part of the chair being covered-the front legs, seat, and back, and a short segment that hangs behind the chair. The theme of the "hundred antiques," embroidered onto the dark blue satin, is especially finely executed on the segment that would cover the back of the chair. There, ritual bronzes flank a tall vase containing tree peonies. Auspicious birds are mixed in with the still-life elements: a mandarin duck stands on one foot on a rock next to the tall vase, and at the top of the chair strip, upside down because it would have hung behind the chair, a crane stands in a vessel containing waves. Both these birds have favorable associations, the mandarin duck with conjugal harmony and the crane with long life, and both are insignia of rank for governmental officials.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 18th century

Medium

Silk and metallic-thread embroidery on silk satin

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Francis Keally, in memory of his wife, Mildred Taber Keally, 1978