A CHINESE KESI CIVIL RANK BADGE

A CHINESE KESI CIVIL RANK BADGE

19TH CENTURY

Embroidered in silk thread with a red-capped crane for a first rank civil official, the bird stands on a rock in a turbulent ocean, with a flaming pearl, ruyi sceptre and two coins emerging from the waves, the sky with a red sun set amidst billowing clouds, the dark blue background and borders richly decorated with lotus scrolls in gold thread, mounted on blue silk attached to a wood frame, 29cm x 26cm.

Provenance: from a private collection, London, acquired in the 1990s.