Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911) Date:18th century Culture:China Medium:Silk tapestry (kesi) Dimensions:Textile only: 8 ft. 5 9/16 in. × 85 5/8 in. (258 × 217.5 cm) Framed: H. 8 ft. 8 1/8 in. (264.5 cm); W. 88 1/8 in. (223.8 cm); D. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); Wt. 180 lb. (81.6 kg) Classification:Textiles-Tapestries Credit Line:Gift of Mrs. John F. Seaman, 1925 Accession Number:25.109.1 Large pictorial silk tapestries such as this one were mostly woven in the imperial workshops in Suzhou, a textile center in southeast China. The bright yellow background, a color exclusive to the emperor, further confirms its imperial origins. The five phoenixes probably refer to the five species of this auspicious bird in Chinese myths. This piece is paired with another five-phoenix panel in The Met collection, and the set could represent the five ideal relationships (wulun) in Confucianism: between father and son, husband and wife, emperor and official, senior and youth, and among friends.
Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911) Date:18th century Culture:China Medium:Silk tapestry (kesi) Dimensions:Textile only: 8 ft. 5 9/16 in. × 85 5/8 in. (258 × 217.5 cm) Framed: H. 8 ft. 8 1/8 in. (264.5 cm); W. 88 1/8 in. (223.8 cm); D. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); Wt. 180 lb. (81.6 kg) Classification:Textiles-Tapestries Credit Line:Gift of Mrs. John F. Seaman, 1925 Accession Number:25.109.1 Large pictorial silk tapestries such as this one were mostly woven in the imperial workshops in Suzhou, a textile center in southeast China. The bright yellow background, a color exclusive to the emperor, further confirms its imperial origins. The five phoenixes probably refer to the five species of this auspicious bird in Chinese myths. This piece is paired with another five-phoenix panel in The Met collection, and the set could represent the five ideal relationships (wulun) in Confucianism: between father and son, husband and wife, emperor and official, senior and youth, and among friends.