Kang or furniture cover
date: label: Date
content: 18th century
label: Period
content: Qing dynasty
notes: label: Description
content: This textile consists of three sewn together sections of cut-velvet fabric with polychrome layered-weft pattern; the entire piece of fabric is lined with yellow silk, which is not necessarily original to the piece. A large, full-faced lotus blossom with a golden seed pod at the middle appears in the center of the design. The rest of the surface is covered with a scrolling leaf design punctuated by profile lotus flower-heads that have golden-edged seed pods at their centers. Ten large bats flit among the flower design. Two rectangular bands edge the design; the inner border consists of geometric kui-dragon patterns composed of units of two facing dragons. The outside border consists of swastika lattice made up of paired swastikas in mirror image. The borders add an archaistic flavor to the design.
label: Description
content: The velvet is crimson/burgundy in color and the polychrome layered-weft pattern consists of the following colors: white, pink, mint-green, teal blue, and gold. It also appears that silver thread was used on some of the bats, but the thread is now dulled. The predominant design of lotus flowers and scrolling leaves is executed in white, pink, and gold for the flowers and green and blue for the leaves. The colors are used with studied repetition to create a harmonious unity; for example, touches of pink and white also appear as flourishes on the leafy vine. The kui-dragon pattern, which is predominately green and blue, also includes accents of white and pink threads. The velvet background pile has been trimmed with exceptional care and skill, and details as fine as the eyes and facial features of the bats are formed by lines of raised velvet nap.
label: Provenance
content: To 1970
label: Provenance
content: Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, New York. [1]
label: Provenance
content: Estate of Agnes E. Meyer. [2]
label: Provenance
content: To 1995
label: Provenance
content: Mrs. Katherine Graham (1917-2001), Washington, DC, acquired from her mother’s (Agnes E. Meyer) estate. [3]
label: Provenance
content: From 1995
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Mrs. Katherine Graham, Washington DC [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Acquired by donor from her mother's (Agnes Meyer) estate. Donor believes that this cut-velvet panel covered the grand piano in her mother's drawing room. See page 115 of the "Drawing Room" estate inventory in the object file in the Registrar's office.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [4] See object record.
label: Collection
content: Freer Study Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Eugene I. Meyer Jr. (1875-1959)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Katharine Meyer Graham (1917-2001)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: floral patterns
label: Topic
content: rugmaking
label: Topic
content: cut velvet
label: Topic
content: silk (fiber)
label: Topic
content: dragon
label: Topic
content: flower
label: Topic
content: Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
label: Topic
content: lotus
label: Topic
content: bat
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. Katharine Graham
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: FSC-T-7
objectType: label: Type
content: Costume and Textile
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Polychrome cut-velvet with silk backing
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 425 x 195 cm (167 5/16 x 76 3/4 in)