Cushion cover

Object Details

• Label

  Thronelike chairs were appointed with elaborate cushions to make them more comfortable and to signal the sitter's status. The design here, consisting of nine five-clawed dragons, was one that only the emperor and his closest associates could use. Other motifs on the cushion symbolize good fortune and longevity. The Chinese name for the narcissus plant, for example, contains the word "immortal," and peaches are also emblems of immortality. Bats, a symbol of good fortune, fly among the brightly colored clouds.

• Provenance

  To 1915

  Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1915 [1]

  From 1915 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1915 [2]

  From 1920

  The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Reserved Textile List, R. 147, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Worshipping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits (June 17 to September 9, 2001)

  On Becoming Immortal (May 9, 1993 to August 15, 1994)

  Chinese Art (May 9 to November 29, 1993)

  Chinese Ceramics (March 15, 1982 to July 10, 1986)

  Bicentennial Exhibition: Chinese Art (December 5, 1975 to November 10, 1976)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Costume and Textile

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1700s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Embroidery, Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Couching (embroidering), Qianlong reign (1736 - 1796), Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Costume, Textiles