Panel or Hanging
INV-6883China
Late–Ming dynasty (1368–1644)/Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1650/1700
mingqingtextileweaving
Date
Late–Ming dynasty (1368–1644)/Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 1650/1700
Medium
Silk, gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped silk, and peacock-feather-strip-wrapped silk, slit tapestry weave with interlaced outlining wefts
Dimensions
239.2 × 171.5 cm (94 1/8 × 67 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of the Antiquarian Society
Seven pairs of birds in a garden setting convey wishes for conjugal happiness and imply a balance of yin and yang, male and female principles. The imagery would have been appropriate for many family celebrations, from weddings to the birthdays of older family members. Across the top of this piece, a pair of lions playfully confronts a brocaded ball. Lions were associated with Buddhism, and statues of lions often protect the gateways of temples and shrines. They are surrounded by various beribboned symbols--a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and other precious objects. Although it is more common to find eight motifs drawn from one religious tradition, here they mingle in ecumenical wishes for good luck and prosperity.
--John E. Vollmer, Clothed to Rule the Universe: Ming and Qing Dynasty Textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago (2000): 46, plate xxix.
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