A Pair of 19th Century Chinese Qing Dynasty Cloud Embroidered Silk Rank Badges
十九世纪中国清朝云纹寿字圆補子一对
In order to show their noble status, the rank badges of the royal family and the aristocrats were different from those of the civil servants and military officials, they were sometimes round. A nobleman from the Qing dynasty would've worn this pair of badges. Steeped in traditional symbolism, depicting many of the twelve symbols of sovereignty.
A pair of sacrificial goblets the symbol of imperial loyalty, symbolise also the virtue of filial piety. Depicted on the goblets are the two animal kings in the Garden of the Emperor, a tiger or a lion (representing physical strength), and a monkey (cleverness), the tiger as a symbol of the courage to protect and the monkey, which stands for intelligence. The goblets represent also one of the five elements (metal). Seaweed represents purity and is the noble symbol of the emperor's leadership, it also represents water, one of the elements. Grain represents the emperors capacity to feed its people, thus prosperity and fertility, it also symbolises that the emperor is the mainstay for the people. The pheasant is a symbol of literary refinement and represent the animal and bird kingdoms hence the whole natural world. The bow shaped "fu" sign represents collaboration and the power of the emperor to distinguishing evil from good, right from wrong.
为了显示其身份高贵，皇亲贵族们的補子与文武官员们的有所不同，他们是圆形和方形并用。其中，亲王、郡王、贝勒、贝子所用的補子均为圆补，镇国公及以下均为方形。此一对圆形補子为清代王公贵族之物，其在当时的使用规格及控制非常严格，它在图案上的每一点不同都体现着严格的等级划分和标识，非本爵位官员绝对不许僭越戴用。所以能够传世的圆形補子显得甚是珍罕，而此拍品的良好品相更是难得，极具收藏价值。
D220mm
