Buzi (Court Rank Badge)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1850/75
This buzi, or court rank badge, is a square embroidered textile originating from China during the Qing dynasty, dated to 1850/75, and associated with Manchu production. It measures 30.3 by 30.8 cm (12 by 12 1/8 inches). The base fabric is a dark silk in warp-float faced 7:1 satin weave, and the badge is lined with plain weave silk.
The decoration is executed in silk thread and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped silk using knot, split, and straight stitches, complemented by laid work and couching. At the center, a white bird with outspread wings is depicted perched above stylized rock formations and churning water. The surrounding composition includes scattered clouds, a red sun disk, fluttering bats, blooming floral branches, and auspicious emblems emerging from the waves. The entire composition is surrounded by a decorative fret pattern border.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The badge entered the museum collection as a bequest of Harold R. Warner and was published in the exhibition study Clothed to Rule the Universe: Ming and Qing Dynasty Textiles at The Art Institute of Chicago.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silk, warp-float faced 7:1 satin weave; embroidered with silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped silk in knot, split, and straight stitches; laid work and couching; lined with silk, plain weave
- Dimensions
- 30.3 × 30.8 cm (12 × 12 1/8 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Manchu, China
- Place recorded
- China
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Buzi (Court Rank Badge)
- Museum object number
- 1939.2056
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.