Chinese Silk Embroidered Panel with Embroidered Border Late Qing

A square silk with a densely composed design of a handled basket surrounded by scholar objects. The panel is a bit unusual in that it is edged with a border that also has many hand-embroidered cartouches and Daoist symbols.

 

The background is a black silk. Most of the designs on the central panel use a satin stitch with many shades of blue. Gold thread has been used to edge and embellish. The central basket and Buddhist hand fruits also use the forbidden stitch.

 

The outer border is interesting because it too has embroideries with wrapped threads. The embroideries going around the frame take on many shapes from pomegranates to gourds and fans. They are filled with yet more objects. The entire piece has much handiwork. The back of the panel is covered in a blue cloth.

 

MEASUREMENTS

 

15” (38.1 cm) tall x 13” (33.0 cm) wide. Weighs 2.3 oz (60 g)

 

CONDITION

 

There is some fading to the silks, particularly those in the border with red in them. There are only a few loose threads on the frame border. The top of the silk square has some unraveling in spots with some loose gold threads. There are small areas on the black silk ground that show wear. This is not very noticeable because of the thick embroidery. There was an attempt to repair where the border became loose from the silk square. While there remain gaps where it’s still loose, most of the border is secure. The blue silk on the back shows wear and discoloring. You can also see where stitching from the repair to secure the border.

 

A lovely and ornate antique silk to add to a collection.