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This patch,made of embroidered silk,was purchased recently at an estate auction. According to the family this was part of a robe that was brought back from China by a relative as a gift to their mother who was a collector of unusual textiles. Unfortunately, she decided to downsize and cut up the robe and kept the interesting pieces in a box. Eventually, she had decided to she wanted to display some of these pieces so she (unfortunately) glued it to a piece of silk and mounted it in this frame. It measures about 7 inches in diameter. I am wondering, based off of the closeup photos I've taken of the threads, if someone can help me try and date it? Thanks!

I have seen this type of work, thin fibers laying-on foil-wrapped fibers, in pre-WII Japanese products. This roundel could have been made during Japanese occupation of China (say, 1930)s.

Hi. I've seen pieces similar to your roundel with couched gold thread embroidered dragons on a woven blue or red silk ground. My guess is that it post-dates the Republic period.

Your dragon roundel isn't traditional embroidery but a needlecraft technique called "couching", whereby threads, in this case sheathed by what looks in your photos a bit like gilt tubular beads, are sewn to a textile backing using needle and thread, which process also is called "tacking". Chinese roundels tend to have silk backings, though synthetics are not unknown, and also incorporate machine woven Jacquard-loom patterns in their borders, of which type your looks to be an example.

Roundels such as yours were mass-produced during the late 20th century and subsequently for utilitarian and decorative purposes, as opposed to the symbolic functions served by traditional rank badges and mystical icons for robes, which were made using traditional embroidery and various other techniques, such as the tapestry or "forbidden" stitch and a much more labor-intensive form of couching.

Against such a backdrop, while I would not discount the story of your roundel having once been used to decorate a robe, the same type of needlecraft items can still be found in China Arts & Crafts outlets, department stores and gift shops around Asia packaged for use as placemats on dinner tables, antimacassars for furniture and put in frames to brighten up the room. Such sets were favorites in American military exchange stores on US bases in Asia during and after the Korean and Vietnam War years.

Here are some Live Auctioneer results to give you an idea of values (your may have to sign up to see the hammer prices, but it is free).

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/42783962_circular-chinese-silk-embroidery

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/38285322_chinese-antique-embroidery-rank-patch

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/27343830_important-chinese-vintage-mans-half-length-robe

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9452397_2-chinese-silk-embroideries

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/49399211_chinese-dragon-embroidered-medallion-1

Best regards,

Bill H.

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