Rank Badge (buzi)
Unknown Artist
c. 1500–1550
Medium
silk; slit tapestry weave (kesi)
Dimensions
32 × 36.1 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
1985.32
About this artwork
Rank badges (also called rank insignia or Mandarin squares) were used in China during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties to demonstrate the wearer’s rank. In 1391 new clothing regulations directed court officials to wear decorative squares indicating their rank—birds for civil officials and animals for military officials. During the Qing dynasty rank badge design was regulated, and certain creatures were associated with specific ranks. Qing badges depict a representation of the ...