This panel probably came from a chair cover, possibly from the part that covered the seat. Word play makes the motifs auspicious: five bats (fu, a homophone for the Chinese word for happiness) surround a musical stone and a pair of fish, associated with good fortune and affluence.
Object Details
Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date:18th century
Culture:China
Medium:Silk and metallic-thread tapestry (kesi)
Dimensions:Overall (a): 15 x 15 3/4 in. (38.1 x 40 cm)
Overall (b): 13 3/4 x 16 in. (34.9 x 40.6 cm)
Classification:Textiles-Tapestries
Credit Line:Gift of Rodman A. Heeren, 1960
Accession Number:60.157.6a, b