Qing Dynasty Rank Badge with Silver Pheasant

This vividly-colored embroidery depicts a white pheasant on a dark blue background. The bird is shown with its wings outstretched, hovering above the sea. It faces a red-gold sun, which symbolizes the Emperor and serves as a focal point for the bird to look up to and revere. Stylized bats (symbols of good fortune) flutter under the clouds among peach blossoms and peonies.

The Chinese tradition of wearing rank badges (buzi), also known as Mandarin squares, to demonstrate civil, military or imperial rank began in 1391 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and continued throughout the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

These insignia were sewn onto or woven into the wearer’s garments to indicate their rank. Attached to the front and back of a ceremonial robe, rank badges were woven in pairs with identical imagery. One remained in one piece; the other was divided vertically up the center to attach to the front of a robe with a center opening.

A badge featuring a bird identified the wearer as a civil official. To attain such a position required years of intense study, so birds may have been selected because of their literary associations. Each rank was represented by a different species, and while there were slight variations over time, by the Qing Dynasty the order from highest to lowest was: (1) crane, (2) golden pheasant, (3) peacock, (4) wild goose, (5) silver pheasant, (6) egret, (7) mandarin duck, (8) quail and (9) paradise flycatcher.

This badge, made for a civil official of the fifth rank, features a silver pheasant, which can be recognized by its five distinctive long, scalloped tail feathers. Unlike the rest of the badge, which is embroidered in satin stitch, the bird itself is rendered in knotted stitch, giving it a sense of three-dimensionality. Because it is in one piece, rather than split down the middle, it was meant for the back of a robe.

Despite being over 150 years old, the colors are still clear and bright, and the central decor is in excellent condition. There has been some unraveling of the archaic key pattern stitched in golden threads around the border, visible in the photos.

The badge has been professionally framed on an acid-free linen mat with anti-reflective, UV-absorbing museum glass, a product which allows amazing clarity and uncompromised protection.

The dimensions given are for the framed piece; the dimensions of the badge itself are 12.3″ wide and 11.9″ high.