CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, ÉPOQUE YONGZHENG (1723-1735)

Luxurious silk velvet covers, like the one here, are exceedingly rare and were exclusively woven in limited numbers for the imperial court. These opulent textiles were meticulously produced in workshops located in Fujian and Jiangsu Provinces. Comprised of three silk-velvet panels intricately woven and then seamlessly joined together, this large textile most probably served the purpose of decorating important furniture pieces such as a kang for instance.
Compare with a similar late 18th century silk velvet cover, woven in gold metal-wrapped thread with orange blossoming lotus on a navy ground, from the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, illustrated by R.Jacobsen, Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 2002, vol.2, pp.1094, cat.no.543. See a honey-ground silk velvet carpet, dated late 17th-early 18th century, with lotus design, in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrated by J.Vollmer, Clothed to Rule the Universe. Ming to Qing Dynasty Textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 2000, pl.30, pp.47.