Rank Badge with White Crane
Unknown Artist
late 19th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
7 1/2 x 7 in. (19.05 x 17.78 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture & Period
Korea · Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Seymour Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.60.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite **Rank Badge with White Crane**, crafted in silk during the late 19th century of Korea's Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), as a vital emblem of official status. Worn as a square patch on the chest and back of civil servants' robes, these badges—known as *hyangwon*—denoted rank through symbolic motifs. The white crane, meticulously embroidered here, signified the highest first-rank officials, embodying Confucian ideals of longevity, purity, and scholarly virtue in a rigidly hierarchical society. The badge's small size (7½ x 7 in.) belies its intricate artistry. Fine silk provided a lu...