Rank Badge with Waves and Rocks
Unknown Artist
late 19th–early 20th century
Medium
Silk, metallic thread
Dimensions
9 x 9 1/2 in. (22.86 x 24.13 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alice Boney, 1955
Accession Number
55.157.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Asian Art galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we encounter the exquisite *Rank Badge with Waves and*, an embroidered silk square from late 19th–early 20th-century China during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Measuring a modest 9 x 9½ inches, this unknown artist's creation was a vital symbol of imperial hierarchy. Worn as a square patch (known as a *biao*) on the chest and back of officials' robes, it denoted rank within the vast Qing bureaucracy, adhering to strict sumptuary laws that regulated dress by status. The badge's dynamic design of swirling waves and rugged...