Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Medium:
Silk
Dimensions:
H x W: 36.2 × 35.6 cm (14 1/4 × 14 in)
Type:
Costume and Textile
Origin:
China
Date:
late 14th-early 15th century
Period:
Early Ming dynasty
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.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Topic:
lion  Search this
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)  Search this
water  Search this
cloud  Search this
fungus-of-immortality  Search this
China  Search this
Chinese Art  Search this
Shirley Z. Johnson collection  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Shirley Z. Johnson in appreciation of Jan Stuart
Accession Number:
F2017.10
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye39b56d5c8-0391-484d-86bd-258baf8bae93
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F2017.10