Rank badge with qilin, silk embroidery on silk gauze, unknown artist, 16th to early 17th century.
This embroidered rank badge is from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was used to indicate military rank. Badges with a qilin, a Chinese mythological creature, were worn by high-ranking military officers. It is thought that the variation in appearance of the qilin on rank badge designs, even from the same period, is because they were individually tailored at the wearer's expense.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
unknown. (2024, May 21). Rank Badge with Qilin (16th–Early 17th Century). World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18961/rank-badge-with-qilin-16th-early-17th-century/
Chicago Style
unknown. "Rank Badge with Qilin (16th–Early 17th Century)." World History Encyclopedia, May 21, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18961/rank-badge-with-qilin-16th-early-17th-century/.
MLA Style
unknown. "Rank Badge with Qilin (16th–Early 17th Century)." World History Encyclopedia, 21 May 2024, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18961/rank-badge-with-qilin-16th-early-17th-century/.
