Embroidered panel with a design of goldfish and flowers

This lavishly embroidered silk panel would have made the perfect elegant wedding or birthday gift. The materials themselves were expensive, but the labor-intensive hand embroidery would have made this panel very costly to create.

The decoration of goldfish under peonies is a symbol of prosperity and nobility. These associations are linked to social pastimes and literature. Tang-dynasty (618–907) upper classes held lavish parties featuring activities such as admiring peonies and goldfish. Tang authors lauded the peonies grown in the imperial garden in Luoyang (Henan province) as the "King of Flowers." The goldfish, because it symbolized gold and abundance, became a favored pet in aristocratic mansions.