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Velvet panel with auspicious symbols

1644-1911

Asian Art Museum

Asian Art Museum
San Francisco, United States

This long velvet panel is designed as a chair or cushion cover. It is decorated with auspicious motifs that, combined, celebrate a divine world of happiness, longevity, and nobility for whoever sits on it. The motifs are a lion playing with a brocade ball; an infinity knot surrounded by stylized bats and clouds; a dragon rising from the mythical Eastern Ocean; and a single bat carrying the character xi, for double happiness. A person would sit on the infinity knot, lean back against the powerful dragon full of cosmic energy, and contemplate the images of the dancing lion and the bat elsewhere on the seat.

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  • Title: Velvet panel with auspicious symbols
  • Date Created: 1644-1911
  • Location Created: China
  • Physical Dimensions: H. 20 in x W. 128 in
  • Rights: Public Domain
  • Medium: Two-color satin velvet with cut decoration
  • Credit Line: Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B69M8.c
Asian Art Museum

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