Page 274 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art March 24 and 25th, 2022 NYC

Important Chinese Rank Badges and Textiles

from The David Hugus Collection

大衛·許格珍藏重要中國官服補子及織繡

(Lots 1152–1169)

After a long and decorated military career, Dr. David Hugus began Award in 2000. Seeing the need for an even more comprehensive
collecting rank badges in 1991. His interest began after reading survey of rank badges, he continued to expand his knowledge
articles on the subject by Professor Schuyler Cammann of the and to build an encyclopedic collection of badges with the
University of Pennsylvania, which inspired his thirty-year pursuit of intention of again publishing a text that would stand as the most
learning, teaching and collecting Chinese rank badges. Together comprehensive on the subject. In 2021, David published Chinese
with the support of his wife of over fifty years, Nancy, the study and Rank Badges: Symbols of Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the Ming
collecting of rank badges became a hobby as well as a mission—to and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2021, which now stands as the
decode and publish on the sparsely written field of rank badges. In most comprehensive text on the subject of rank badges in the
2000, Hugus co-authored with collector Beverley Jackson, Ladder to English language and is being published in Chinese by Social
the Clouds: Intrigue and Tradition in Chinese Rank, considered one of Sciences Academic Press, Beijing. Christie’s is honored to offer
the foremost English-language texts on the history of Chinese rank the first of four sales of Chinese rank badges and textiles from the
badges and one of five non-fiction finalists for the Kiriyama Book David Hugus collection.

PROPERTY FROM THE DAVID HUGUS COLLECTION
1152
A RARE KESI CIVIL OFFICIAL'S RANK
BADGE OF AN EGRET, BUZI
MING DYNASTY, 16TH-17TH CENTURY
Made for the wife of a sixth rank civil official, the
egret is boldly worked with outstretched wings
perched on a rock formation, set against a gold
ground interspersed with multi-colored clouds
above waves. PROPERTY FROM THE DAVID HUGUS COLLECTION
12√ x 11Ω in. (32.7 x 29.2 cm.)
~1153
A VERY RARE GOLD-GROUND BROCADE RANK BADGE OF A There are far less extant examples of military officials’ badges than civil
$8,000-12,000
TIGER, BUZI official’s badges, likely because there were far more military than civil posts
PROVENANCE: 17TH CENTURY (see, G. Dickinson and L. Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, Berkeley, 2000,
Lee Kavaljian Collection, San Francisco. p. 126). A similarly-worked brocade military badge, but with a dark blue
Made for a third-rank military official, the badge is woven with a tiger with blue ground, is in The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 46-27, and illustrated in
striated fur amidst scrolling clouds and flames, tossed with a flaming pearl, a
LITERATURE: Antiques & The Arts Weekly, “Lively Creatures: Animals in Chinese Art”, 14
D. Hugus, Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols of gold ingot, and a roll of silk, all above crashing waves. January 2022, p. 31.
Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the Ming and Qing 12w x 14u in. (32.3 x 36.2 cm.)
Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2021, p. 64, fig. 5.17.
%"7*% )6(64珍藏
$20,000-30,000
DAVID HUGUS珍藏 十ˑˠ紀ǎ金ঃ彩❚˕品武官虎紋補子
PROVENANCE:
明十六/十七世紀 緙絲六品安人鷺鷥補子 Jon Eric Riis. Ϝ源
+PO &SJD 3JJT
來源:
LITERATURE:
Lee Kavaljian 珍藏, 舊金山 B. Jackson and D. Hugus, Ladder to the Clouds, Berkeley, 1999, p. 220, 15.003 ֨ḛ
and back cover. # +BDLTPO及% )VHVT
Ǘ-BEEFS UP UIF $MPVETǘ
柏Գ萊
年
頁
出版:
D. Hugus, Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols of Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the 及封底
D. Hugus, 《Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2021, p. 68, fig. 6.3a.
of Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the Ming and % )VHVT
Ǘ$IJOFTF 3BOL #BEHFT 4ZNCPMT PG 1PXFS
8FBMUI
BOE
Qing Dynasties》, 香港, 2021年, 頁64, 圖5.17 *OUFMMFDU JO UIF .JOH BOE 2JOH %ZOBTUJFTǘ
香港
年
頁
圖 B
272 273