MING DYNASTY, 16TH/17TH CENTURY

Details

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE IMPERIAL EMBROIDERED DRAGON ROUNDEL, BUZI
MING DYNASTY, 16TH/17TH CENTURY
The circular badge is finely embroidered in satin stitch and couched to depict an upturned curling dragon in profile, spreading its legs with five claws chasing a flaming pearl, amidst flower sprays and ruyi clouds against a yellow ground. The front legs each grasps trident mountains emerging from cresting waves embellished with floating pearls. The roundel is worked in threads of tones of gold, red, pink, blue, green and white.
13 in. (33 cm.) diam., 16 1/2 x 16 1/4 in. (42 x 42.5 cm.) mounted

Provenance

Linda Wrigglesworth, London, 1990s

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Lot Essay

No other similar example appears to be published. The techniques of contouring and shading on the present lot to produce a dramatic contrast between the decoration and the golden yellow ground is close to a dragon robe fragment dating to the 17th century, illustrated by J. E. Vollmer, Silks for Thrones and Altars, Chinese Costumes and Textiles, Paris, 2003, pl. 21. Though showing a frontal dragon, that example shares similar multi-coloured borders on the dragon and floating pearls on the water as the current example.

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