Mirror case with lunar scene
In imperial China, scholars from humble backgrounds could attain upward social mobility by passing the civil service examination (held by the state every three years) and becoming a career government official. This achievement was often symbolized as “plucking a branch off the osmanthus tree on the moon” in popular culture. This embroidered silk case depicts the goddess Chang’e who, accompanied by her attendant and rabbit, hands a branch of the tree to the successful scholar.
Artwork Details
- 清 蟾宮折桂紋絲繡鏡套
- Title: Mirror case with lunar scene
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 19th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Silk embroidery on simple gauze silk
- Dimensions: Diam. 17 in. (43.2 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Isabel Mayer, 1963
- Object Number: 63.131
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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