19th C. Chinese Silver Pheasant Rank Badge Embroidery on Silk seersucker suit with the sewn side of

with the sewn side of the hem facing

Each piece measures 3 1/2” l x 13/16” wide

At some point it must have been a thing to repurpose old wooden spools this way

I don't think photos do them full justice

19th C. Chinese Silver Pheasant Rank Badge Embroidery on Silk seersucker suit with the sewn side ofAlways learning! I found this beautiful antique embroidery on silk the other day in Maine and knew it was a special thing, and have since learned about Chinese Rank Badges, of which it is one. Rank Badges (also called rank insignia or Mandarin squares) were used in China during the Ming (13681644) and Qing (16441911) dynasties to demonstrate the wearers rankbirds for civil officials and animals for military officials. During the Qing dynasty rank