Rank Badge with Pheasant
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Silk, metallic thread on silk
Dimensions
12 × 12 1/2 in. (30.5 × 31.8 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William Christian Paul, 1929
Accession Number
30.75.881
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Rank Badge with Pheasant*, crafted in 19th-century Qing dynasty China (1644–1911), is a finely embroidered square insignia worn on the robes of high-ranking civil officials. Known as *buziguan* or mandarin squares, these badges denoted status within the imperial bureaucracy—pheasants specifically symbolized third- to fifth-rank civil servants, evoking grace, beauty, and scholarly virtue. Surrounding bats, a playful pun on *fu* (happiness), added wishes for prosperity and longevity, blending symbolism with imperial hierarchy. Embroidered on silk with shimmering metallic threads...