Rank badge with Lion

Ming rank badge with lion in kesi.
The badge is woven in the kesi technique with silk threads, the main colors of which are: green, blue (azure), ochre-brown, yellow, cinnabar-red, white and black. It depicts a grimacing, curly-maned lion in the main field. Flames emanate from his shoulders. He sits on what may be a rock plateau or level earth, which is buffeted by tall waves. In front of the waves, at the center, a small, three-pronged mountain rises from the sea that is depicted as a long row of curly waves along the bottom edge of the badge. The curly waves resemble the clouds that fill the sky above and to the sides of the lion. At the far right and left bottom corners of the badge, half of the three-pronged mountain symbol is shown. A lingzhi fungus appears on the right and left side of the side of the lion.

The badge is woven so skillfully that the front and back are almost identical, with only a very few pulled threads on the reverse. Looking at the frontside of the badge, the lion looks to the viewer’s right.

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Historical period(s)
Early Ming dynasty, late 14th-early 15th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
H x W: 36.2 Ɨ 35.6 cm (14 1/4 Ɨ 14 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Shirley Z. Johnson in appreciation of Jan Stuart
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F2017.10
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Costume and Textile
Type

Textile

Keywords
China, cloud, fungus-of-immortality, lion, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Shirley Z. Johnson collection, water
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Ming rank badge with lion in kesi.
The badge is woven in the kesi technique with silk threads, the main colors of which are: green, blue (azure), ochre-brown, yellow, cinnabar-red, white and black. It depicts a grimacing, curly-maned lion in the main field. Flames emanate from his shoulders. He sits on what may be a rock plateau or level earth, which is buffeted by tall waves. In front of the waves, at the center, a small, three-pronged mountain rises from the sea that is depicted as a long row of curly waves along the bottom edge of the badge. The curly waves resemble the clouds that fill the sky above and to the sides of the lion. At the far right and left bottom corners of the badge, half of the three-pronged mountain symbol is shown. A lingzhi fungus appears on the right and left side of the side of the lion.

The badge is woven so skillfully that the front and back are almost identical, with only a very few pulled threads on the reverse. Looking at the frontside of the badge, the lion looks to the viewer's right.

Published References
  • Shirley Z. Johnson. A Textile Collector's Approach to Collecting. July-August Hong Kong, 1995. .
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Whistler's Neighborhood
Google Cultural Institute
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