A group of five Chinese rank badges
Guangxu Period (1875-1908)
A group of Chinese rank badges showing the progression from square to round through the Guangxu period
Five works:

A two-piece front panel and a single back panel, each square depicting a wild goose of a fourth-rank official, with an applique bird amid waves and Buddhist symbols worked in multicolored aniline-dyed silk
Each: 11.5" H x 11.75" W
2 pieces

A panel depicting a silver pheasant of a fifth-rank civil official, with floral motifs, stylized clouds and water and five bat symbols to rounded corners, all worked in blue, grey, brown, and white silk on gauze
10.375" H x 11.5" W

A seamed front panel depicting a peacock of a third-rank civil official's wife, likely after 1900, with an applique bird amid stylized waves and floral motifs in a circular form, all worked in multicolored silk counted stitch on gauze
8.5" H x 9" W

A two-piece imperial-style round front panel depicting a wild goose of a fourth-rank civil official's wife, with a central applique bird amid Buddhist motifs, stylized clouds, waves and deep water and with a bat motif border, all worked in bright aniline-dyed silk counted stitch and metallic thread on gauze
11.75" Dia.

5 pieces total

Literature: These pieces illustrated: David Hugus, PhD, "Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols of Power, Wealth, and intellect in the Ming and Qing Dynasties" (Hong Kong: OM Publishing, 2021), 111, fig. 12.19; 115, fig. 12.34; 115, fig. 12.35; 116, fig. 12.37.

Other Notes: This lot of five rank badges and others presented in this sale indicate a progression of change of shape of the rank badges, as well as other elements reflecting the waning influence of the incarcerated Guangxu emperor.
The previous Tongzhi emperor (r. 1862-74) was six when he first occupied the Dragon Throne, essentially took no role in the rule of China. His mother, the dowager empress Cixi, was one of his regents, and allegedly encouraged him to lead a life of "dissipation and excess" and may have had a hand in his mysterious death at the age of eighteen, afraid that he would begin to assert his right to rule independently when he reached the age of majority.

"The new Guangxu emperor (r. 1875-1908) realized that Grand Dowager Empress Cixi was conservative and had the backing of many court officials. Reform would be impossible if Cixi and her base of support remained in place. The emperor undertook two initiatives in 1898 to address these issues. He started an extensive reform of the Chinese government and the examination process and began to plot with a local military commander to place Cixi under arrest. His reforms lasted about one hundred days. On the night before the move against Cixi was planned, the military commander betrayed his emperor to Cixi's military advisor, and the emperor was put under house arrest until he was murdered in 1908, probably around the time Cixi died."

"The incarceration of the emperor had a profound effect on the design of rank badges after his house arrest. Clearly, with the emperor in detention, there was no one to constrain officials from debasing one of the longest-standing traditions in Chinese society: that circles represented the sun and heavens and were reserved for the emperor and his family. In spite of his apparent helplessness, the emperor remained the emperor with the theoretical authority to sentence officials who displeased him to a most unpleasant death. So even when breaking with such an entrenched tradition was theoretically possible, people proceeded with caution to ensure that they did not overestimate the emperor's impotence. The usurpation of the imperial shape started innocently, with small flowers placed in the corners of a badge."

"When there was no obvious response to this innovation, the corners of the badges started to expand, along with the flowers, to give the interior of the badge a slightly rounded shape. This can be seen in the applique silver pheasant [badge in Lot 1082]. The next step in this process was to augment the corners even more and make the interior of the badge even more circular. This development is displayed in the applique, counted-stitch-on-gauze silver pheasant [badge in Lot 1084]. The process continued with the corners and ancillary design elements forming a clear circle within the badge, as seen in the silver pheasant [badge of Lot 1074]. The penultimate step was the creation of an unambiguous, well-defined, and undeniable circle within the badge, as the peacock in [Lot 1074] demonstrates."

"Ultimately, all pretense of maintaining the traditional shape of the ordinary officials' badges was dropped. The [round] crane badge in [Lot 1075] shows the use of lavish materials that sometimes accompanied the rejection of the emperor's power and desire for reform. The [round] goose badge in [Lot 1074] exemplifies the continued use of aniline dyes. And the very intriguing badge in [Lot 1076] is a quintessential example of a mixed message. The plain design indicates support for the emperor's reform process, while its circular shape proclaims the wearer's disdain for the emperor's power."

Source: David Hugus, PhD, "Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols of Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the Ming and Qing Dynasties" (Hong Kong: OM Publishing, 2021), 112-116.

Each in overall good condition with light dust accumulation commensurate with age and use. Some panels are slightly out of square. Each with scattered minor stitch losses to some areas. The second with creasing, a few splits to weave at right edge below flower, and minor splits to turned edge. The first and the fifth panels are secured with spaced tacking threads. The fifth with blue silk lining and various stamps and labels verso. The third with unfinished edges. Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.