Pair of 19th Century Civil Rank Badges with Peacocks (Third Rank)

Vividly colored pair of 19th century civil rank badges (buzi) decorated with an egret, denoting a civil servant of the Sixth Rank. The badges are worked in flat stitch embroidery on a dark blue silk background, with the bird tinged slightly pink, and the border a bright gold color. The bird is perched on a rock surrounded by green waves and blue clouds. Attached to the front and back of a ceremonial robe, rank badges were woven in pairs with identical imagery. One was divided vertically up the center to attach to the front of a robe with a center opening. A badge featuring a bird identified the wearer as a civil official, possibly because of birds' literary associations. Each rank was represented by a different species, and while there were slight variations over time, by the Qing Dynasty the order from highest to lowest was: (1) crane, (2) golden pheasant, (3) peacock, (4) wild goose, (5) silver pheasant, (6) egret, (7) mandarin duck, (8) quail and (9) paradise flycatcher. Wives were also entitled to wear badges of their husbands’ rank on black surcoats for official occasions. Women's badges can be distinguished from the men's by the placement of the red sun...

Qing Dynasty brocade civil rank badge with silver pheasant, likely intended for the front of a child's robe. This unusually-sized badge was probably made for an older child of a civil official of the fifth rank. It features a silver pheasant, which can be recognized by its five distinctive long, scalloped tail feathers. The bird, with one foot raised and its wings outstretched, stands on a rock surrounded by green waves couched with gold thread, facing the red sun...

A fine matching pair of embroidered silk civil rank badge panels (known in Chinese as Buzi) unframed. The panels feature borders of fret archaic key a...

On offer is a matching pair of embroidered silk civil rank badge panels (known in Chinese as Buzi) in black lacquer frames. The panels feature a black background within a scrolling floral border. In the center, it showcases a winged paradise fly catcher...