A Myriad of Birds

Cleveland Museum of Art

A Myriad of Birds

Date
1700s–1800s
Medium
silk: satin weave with polychrome silk embroidery
Culture
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Textiles
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID
136409

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

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. This magnificent textile , probably executed by a woman, demonstrates the tradition of making embroidered pictures in imitation of paintings.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin
Provenance
?–1960: Severance A. [1895–1985] and Greta [Marguerite Steckerl] Millikin [1903–1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1960–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

  • Representative object from the topic Chinese Hanging Scroll Paintings
    Chinese Hanging Scroll Paintings

    All objects are Chinese paintings executed as hanging scrolls using ink and/or color on paper, representing traditional East Asian artistic formats and techniques.

    41 objects from 2 institutions

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