EXTRAORDINARY Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Silk Embroidered Imperial Scent Purse
Rare Chinese Qing Dyansty Silk Embroidered Purses. An extraordinary trio of 19th Century Chinese silk purses, on imperial yellow ground silk, presenting a wonderful golden hue, with spectacular embroidery throughout, each with extremely intricate couching of gold and silver threads, exceptionally detailed with several motifs: depicting a frog with a pagoda, and scrolling waves on one; another with a frog, lizard, scorpion, dragon and vase with characters; the third with with a vase, bats, and other animals. Each retaining their original tassel elements. I have seen a few examples of these types of scent purses from the late Qing Dynasty era, but none that even come close to this level of detailing and embroidery work with all the different motifs; simply remarkable.
In Chinese history, the yellow color, symbolizing the color of the earth, is considered the most prestigious and most beautiful color, and was considered a forbidden color in those times. It was reserved only for high-ranking officials, and the Emperor. That explains the exceptional level of quality and detailing in these three particular examples - that these were most likely owned by a high ranking official, and that he had three similar pieces commissioned for him to use with his wardrobe.
It truly is so wonderful to see that these three purses have stayed together all this time. Overall the trio of purses remain in Very Good Antique Condition with typical wear and tear that is expected with age; one of the three with fading on one side, the other 2 appear to retain most of their original coloration on both sides; one of the purses with loose threads, but the overall image remains intact; the other two remain mostly intact with only a couple loose threads here and there; No major soiling, and No major damages that would detract from their overall artistic display value. I have not opened any of the pouches, in an effort to preserve the material from any further wear and tear, so any one, or all of them, could very well have something hidden inside!
PROVENANCE - A private Midwestern museum institution auctioned off historically significant art and cultural pieces from a family collection. In 1876, the son of a prominent and wealthy Midwestern family attended the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition which gave him the inspiration to amass his own collection. From then into the early 20th century, he collected globally including rare Asian art and antiquities.
Upon his death, the collection remained in his family before being given to a local museum in 1938. One of the purses has the inventory label still attached. These very special, and incredibly rare, antique Chinese scent purses will absolutely make the perfect addition to any collection, and will only increase in value over time! Please check out our other listings for more rare antique Chinese pieces, including a 19th century Chinese Silk Embroidered Robe! This item is in the category "Antiques\Asian Antiques\China\Robes & Textiles".
The seller is "greatlakes203" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Republic of Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Jamaica, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Vietnam.
- Featured Refinements: Antique Chinese Silk
- Region of Origin: China
- Age: 1850-1899
- Primary Material: Silk & Fabric
- Original/Reproduction: Antique Original
- Color: Gold