A finely embroidered silk civil rank badge panel framed in a giltwood frame circa 19th century. The square rank badge is known in Chinese as Buzi which was displayed in the front and back of the official robe to indicate one's rank status. The design is centered by a white egret of spanning open wings, perched on a rock in above the Li-Shui wave pattern. The bird is the symbol of the sixth rank official in the court of Qing Dynasty. The panel has a split in the middle and the bird looks up at a full red sun on his slight upper right, indicating that it belonged to a frontal robe of the spouse of a male official. Diamond-shape trellis on the black silk provides the background for the elaborate design. The bird is surrounded by scrolling clouds, auspicious symbols such as longevity mushrooms and Buddhist bell, and flanked in the ocean by a fish and a jewel. The embroidered border of golden threads was rendered by couching stiches in archaic key pattern. Long and short satin stiches of multi-color threads were used for the main imagery. For a similar six rank badge with nearly identical design, see Accession Number: 69.1.12 in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Height: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40.01 cm)Depth: 0.8 in (2.04 cm)