Rank Badge with Stylized Bear Pillow

In Ming and Qing dynasty China, government officials wore a square badge of rank, or buzi, stitched to the front and back of their formal robes to declare their status at a glance. Animals denoted military rank, and the bear marked a fifth-rank military officer, one of nine grades running from the mythical qilin at the top down to the humble seahorse. This badge's stylized rendering of the bear reflects the decorative license embroiderers took even within a strictly regulated system of imperial insignia.

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