rank insignia

A pair of mandarin squares or rank badges, 'buzi', made of silk and woven in slit tapestry, 'kesi' or 'k'o-ssu' technique, which would have been sewn to the surcoat of an official. The one for the front is made in two equal sized sections and has been sewn together along one selvedge. Each depicts a mandarin duck, the emblem of rank of a civil official of the seventh rank. The bird, woven in pink, blue and white silk, is looking upwards towards a red sun in the top left hand corner, surrounded by various symbols of good fortune including a bat, fan, 'ruyi' sceptre, fish and umbrella.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
1970.581
Date
late 19th century
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 298 x 305 mm; overall: 295 x 295 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
silk; thread; plain weave; slit tapestry
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk