Silver Pheasant Rank Badge
This silver pheasant rank badge was for a civil official of the fifth rank. It features a left facing silver pheasant atop rocks in a celestial scape surrounded by sky with cloud bands, auspicious symbols and a solar disk. The design is executed in a labor intensive tapestry technique called kosu with some painted details.As to the value of low rank badges vs high rank badges, it is fair to assume that high rank officials would have money to commission better badges but they also would commission more of them, while the low ranking officials would have to do with fewer badges or in many cases with badges that had only the background and the birds would be appliqued,taken off and replaced with different birds as the official advanced in rank.
Circa: 19th century
Origin: China
Material: Silk with some metallic threads
Condition: some fading to the reds and oranges, very good
Dimensions: 11" x 13"
Inventory number: TX4016
This silver pheasant rank badge was for a civil official of the fifth rank. It is a back badge and it shows a silver pheasant atop rocks and water.
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