Antique Chinese Kesi Fourth Rank Badges Qing Dynasty

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A fine silk kesi civil rank badge panel (known in Chinese as Buzi) framed and glazed. The fourth rank panel … Read more A fine silk kesi civil rank badge panel (known in Chinese as Buzi) framed and glazed. The fourth rank panel feature borders of fret archaic key and are centered by the insignia bird wild goose, which is the symbol of the fourth rank civil official in the court of Qing Dynasty. The goose was depicted perching on one leg on the colorful li-shui immersed rocks among the polychromed ocean waves. Surrounding the bird are scrolling clouds finely woven in a lovely blue and white color way. The goose looks up to a full sun on the upper left corner and it has a slit in the middle. This indicates that the Bizi was originally placed in the front of the robe worn by a male official of the fourth civil rank. The work is of period (likely mid-19th century) and fine quality.
Kesi, in contrast to embroidery, is a type of woven tapestry, originally introduced to China along the silk road by Sogdian merchants from Central Asia. It reached the finest quality in China during Song Dynasty. The Chinese name is "Cut Silk" which indicates the nature of the weaving. Unlike conventional brocade, individual colored area was woven using weft threads of short length on separate bobbin. Only the wefts form the visible pattern that can be very small and intricate. The demanding and time-consuming technique can create extremely fine images that rival paintings. See less