KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

This rare Kangxi military badge depicts a fierce qilin with mouth open in a roar on a rock finely embroidered with peacock-feather filament. Kangxi-period military badges, especially those of the first rank, are extremely rare. One of the only pairs to have been sold at auction was a pair previously published in D. Hugus, Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols of Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2021, p. 31, no. 3.2 and p. 73, no. 7.6 and cover (one), and sold at Christie’s New York, 22 September 2022, lot 852.