Rank badge
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
16th century
Rank badge for a sixth-rank civil official showing a pair of egrets (lesser white herons). One bird stands in rippling water which, together with the polychrome rocks, forms the base of the picture.
The other bird is in flight between cloud bands at the top. On each side of the centred birds is a large lotus plant in flower. The badge is executed in tapestry weave ( kesi ). This Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) rank badge is woven in the kesi tapestry technique, where colours are only woven on where the pattern requires, resulting in small gaps between woven patterns, giving the appearance of cut designs. This badge would have been worn on an overcoat for the court by an officer of the sixth rank, as indicated by use of egrets as a motif.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Height 32 cm; Width 35 cm
- Materials and techniques
- Silk tapestry (<i>kesi</i>) and metal-wrapped threads
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- China
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O14485
- Museum object number
- FE.11-1986
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.