Mid 19th Century Chinese Qing Dynasty Kesi Peacock Third Rank Badge

Description

A silk civil rank badge panel beautifully framed in a gilt Baux bamboo carved wood frame circa Qing dynasty mid-19th … more A silk civil rank badge panel beautifully framed in a gilt Baux bamboo carved wood frame circa Qing dynasty mid-19th century. The square rank badge is known in Chinese as Buzi which was displayed in the front and back of the official robe to indicate one's rank status. Instead of embroidery, this Buzi was made from very fine Kesi weaving. Kesi is a type of woven tapestry, originally introduced to China along the silk road by Sogdian merchants from Central Asia. It reached the finest quality in China during Song Dynasty. The Chinese name is "Cut Silk" which indicates the nature of the weaving. Unlike conventional brocade, individual colored area was woven using weft threads of short length on separate bobbin. Only these wefts form the visible pattern that can be very small and intricate. The demanding and time-consuming technique can create extremely fine images that rival paintings.
The design of this Kesi Buzi is centered by a peacock with long tail plumage, perched on a rock in above the Li-Shui wave pattern. Peacock is the symbol of the third rank official in the court of Qing Dynasty. The panel has a split in the middle and the bird looks up at a full red sun on the left, indicating that it belonged to a frontal robe of a male official. The bird is surrounded by scrolling clouds of Lingzhi shape on a background of golden Wanzhi pattern on back, among which eight Buddhism treasures float. It is further surrounded by a wide border with alternate Shou (longevity) character and bat motif (symbol of fortune). The panel was further surrounded by a wide border of woven silk with figures in the landscape. There are two side ears folded that were some sort of ties. This was a later historical addition to the panel, perhaps to frame it and repurposed as a cushion cover
The work is of a very high quality with fine Kesi woven details that rarely comes by in our collection. less