Featured Antique Chinese Rank Badge?

This item has come up for auction https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/72307023_chinese-silk-embroidery-h-11-l-1175
and its dimensions are correct for a rank badge. It has the sun and some of the right elements, but I'm not sure at all about the following:

1. what kind of bird is it?
2. Though not complex embroidery, it does have the gold colored thread but I've never seen one with a landscape, though I haven't seen that many to compare.
3. They don't say it is an antique.

Any help would be appreciated. I haven't bid on it, as I am unsure, but don't want to miss an opportunity for a bargain.

 

Never mind. Emily

 

My guess is that it's meant to be a silver pheasant (civil) rank badge.

And it may well be. I have no idea.

I wish for a better close up of the stitching. (edit: better than the one on liveauctioneers -- even the largest is mushy)

 

An observation: it looks to me like everything is chain-stitched silk -- no couching of gold-wrapped threads.

 

Disclaimer: this is a self indulgent comment and I have nothing to add...

"It's all Chinese to me." Chain what? Couch who? I'm continually impressed with how ignorant I am. Rank badge? So I'm watching this thread to see what others can add.

 

lol, every single thing I know on this particular topic, I know because someone posted something here and I got curious. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at pieces like this on both ebay and museum sites. I even bought a book on Chinese embroidery.

Granted, I started with a working knowledge of embroidery, but not Chinese embroidery. Not rank badges.

It's a fascinating subject too big for me to even pretend I could form a firm opinion on authenticity/value/age (well, except for some of the super new stuff that's so very obviously new).

 

I could ask them for better pictures, but you're right it is not complex work. This can be a sign of more recent production, you are right. I don't believe that all older embroidery is complex though. Notice the work on the lines on the bottom.

 

I'm making no guess at age. Truly just an observation -- made in case it is helpful.

 

I have about 20 pieces of Chinese silk embroidery that I have collected over the years. Some antique, and in the early years, modern/vintage. @Jivvy is discussing the type of stiches, which is very meaningful when it comes to this type of thing. A rank badge is something that Chinese officials and sometimes their wives wore. Military and civil servants wore different embroidered badges on the front and back their robes indicating their rank. I am interested in acquiring more civil servant rank badges - I have one. I was a civil servant for 37 years in total, so I have an affinity to this gestalt.

 

Dawnno: I share your what? who? what!!? feelings. However, I have been on eiher eBay or this board for 20 years, and I am grateful that I learn something nearly every day! I'd enumerate, but you'd be reading until...whenever.

This is why I read Springfield Arsenal (!?), and AJ - who intimidates me beyond belief, and others who specialize in subjects about which I have absolutely zero interest -- but one never knows... It delights me to know that people collect what I consider Very Strange Objects: flat wooden spoons from the 40's that came sealed into the tops of ice cream cups, chicken wire, and barbed wire, etc. And there are people who can and do acquire the most gorgeous silver pieces for relatively paltrey sums.

As I said, I could go on!

 

To all above that are intimidated by the various experts: Ignorance is bliss!

and thx. we are all here for the same reason I suppose.

 

Just say it. I am looking for any input. If not this one, then another.

 

No, realized I had just spent time finding out things that are already in the auction house's listing, nothing new or helpful, so removed the redundancy.

 

I know her, she is pretty harmless, really.

 

But watch out. She'll have you buying Peranakan silver and coromandel wood sculpture in no time flat.

 

And Dutch coral and gold jewellery.

 

It already happened to me once, but they were silver and I was already buying the coral.

 

However, isn't it wonderful that a site exists with so many different people who know about so many different things, even if the knowledge is just enough to get into trouble.

 

LARGER image........

 

Thank you that helps a lot.