Artwork Page for A Myriad of Birds

Details / Information for A Myriad of Birds

A Myriad of Birds

刺繡禽鳥圖

1700s–1800s

China, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911)
Medium
silk: satin weave with polychrome silk embroidery
Measurements
Overall: 118.7 x 76.2 cm (46 3/4 x 30 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1960.276
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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This magnificent textile, probably executed by a woman, demonstrates the tradition of making embroidered pictures in imitation of paintings.

Description

This embroidered panel, made with extremely fine silk threads, presents a lavishly detailed composition filled with fortuitous imagery. Pairs of birds, including mandarin ducks, peacocks, cranes, swallows, and pheasants, move among flowering trees, ornamental rocks, and aquatic plants, symbolizing harmony, prosperity, and longevity. Cranes stand for longevity, while a pair of mandarin ducks convey wishes for a harmonious marriage. Inspired by the decorative bird-and-flower paintings of the artist Lü Ji, the work prioritizes symbolism over spatial logic. With vibrant colors, meticulous stitching, and fortuitous meaning, the embroidery exemplifies the technical brilliance of Qing dynasty textile art, rivaling the quality of imperial production.
An ivory-colored vertically oriented silk textile ornately embroidered with green-brown and blue-green plant life swarms with various types of birds in pairs. A branch leans in from the central left, on which two white and blue feathered birds perch, a larger bird in brown shades spreading its wings above them. Two large light-brown and dark-blue colored birds with yellow-gold crown feathers sit on the ground. Smaller birds swoop across the textile.

A Myriad of Birds

1700s–1800s

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

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