Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Silk Brocade
Woven in the age of the third Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1722-35), this delicately coloured precious silk brocade is embellished by three parallel and offset rows of children holding a cornucopia of auspicious symbols. In the first horizontal row, the child is holding in one hand a closed lotus flower, symbol of honesty, goodness, beauty and purity, and in the other a stick which a pair of coins, an element belonging to the group of Eight Precious Things. The following row depicts the child holding on one hand the Paintings, one of the four symbols of literature and science, and a peach blossom on the other, a flower associated with Spring and rejuvenation. In between this main pattern we see an alternation of the bat motif (symbol of good luck), the plum blossom (symbolising the faithful, the resolute and the holy) and the butterfly (symbol of love, freedom, romance and beauty).
The subtle polychromy of soft tones of green and peach is punctuated with touches of royal Chinese blue, a palette that is a distinguishing feature of this brief Empire.
Conserved on a cotton backing and mounted on a light wooden stretcher.