Lot 675: Antique Chinese Silk Embroidery, Golden Pheasant with Peonies and Swallows, Framed, 29 x 21 in

Somebody sat with a needle and did this one stitch at a time, and it still catches light a lifetime later.

A golden pheasant perched on a scholar's rock, tail sweeping across a spray of peonies, swallows cutting through a weeping willow overhead, and one butterfly off to the side minding its own business. All of it worked in silk floss on a silk ground, satin stitch and long and short stitch, with the kind of shading you only get when thread is laid by hand in the direction the feather actually grows.

The motifs are not random. The pheasant stands for rank and beauty, the peony for wealth and honor. This was made to say something about the house it hung in.

Finished with a woven brocade border and set in a simple frame that stays out of the way and lets the silk do the talking.

Hang it where the afternoon light hits it. That sheen is the entire point.

Condition: Good. The embroidery is intact with no pulls or losses seen and the silk ground is even. Brocade border shows light age toning, mostly upper left. Faux bamboo frame has scratches, scuffs, small finish losses, and a crack at one bamboo node on the left side. Under glass, wood board backing.

Size: 29 x 21 in. All measurements are approximate.