Bedcover with a double-headed eagle

China, probably Guangzhou, 1730–40
White satin, polychrome silk and gold-paper-wrapped thread embroidery
Asian Civilisations Museum

The central motif of a crowned double-headed eagle was long associated with the Habsburg dynasty. It is found throughout the Spanish empire, and in Portugal, which was under the Habsburg rule between 1580 and 1640. The motif was also used by the Augustinians, in association with the heart pierced by an arrow.

In the corners of the central rectangle are guardian lions, a distinctly Chinese motif introduced by the embroiderers.