Badge with Five-Clawed Dragon Surrounded by Plum Blossoms
Badges with festival symbols were not used at the Chinese court after 1644, and those showing plum blossoms are especially rare. Plum-blossom badges were appropriate for the winter solstice, a festival of the eleventh lunar month. Both the form of the dragon's head seen here and the embroidery technique have close parallels in the finds from Dingling, the tomb of the Ming-dynasty Wanli emperor (r. 1573—1620).
Artwork Details
- Title: Badge with Five-Clawed Dragon Surrounded by Plum Blossoms
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: late 16th–early 17th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Silk and metallic-thread embroidery on plain-weave silk
- Dimensions: 15 x 15 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
- Credit Line: Purchase, Mrs. Andrew Saul Gift, 1987
- Object Number: 1987.176
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Unidentified artist Chinese, active mid-12th century
mid-12th century
Attributed to Leng Mei (Chinese, active 1677–1742)
early 18th century
first half 18th century
early 20th century
19th century
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