Rank Badge with Silver Pheasant I Pillow

This badge's silver pheasant, shown amid stylized clouds and waves, was the prescribed emblem of a fifth-rank civil official under the Ming and Qing rank-badge system, in which nine bird species distinguished the grades of civil service. Such badges were woven or embroidered in pairs, one for the chest and one for the back of a formal court robe. The combination of a specific bird with auspicious symbols like clouds and waves was intended to convey both rank and good fortune.

Jacquard-woven both sides in soft, durable yarn; insert included.