Sleeve Band
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Silk; on silk
Dimensions
46 x 4 in. (116.84 x 10.16 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
30.75.227
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Asian Art galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we encounter the exquisite *Sleeve Band*, a delicate embroidered silk textile from 19th-century Qing dynasty China (1644–1911). Measuring a slender 46 x 4 inches, this narrow band was likely designed to adorn the sleeves of formal robes, a hallmark of imperial-era fashion among the elite. Crafted entirely from silk—both the ground fabric and the threads—this piece exemplifies the pinnacle of Chinese textile artistry, where embroidery transformed simple cloth into symbols of status and refinement. The design features i...