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found this in my mother's drawer. the embroidery is not the usual flat embroidery and i think it has gold thread trimmings?
it is 10.5 by 12.5 inches.

can anyone help to identify/date this?

Looks like a nice, traditional, Chinese silk embroidery square on a royal blue silk ground. It might be a dowry piece or made to be applied to a garment but I'm not sure. It appears to be late 19th century give or take. The main filler stitch is usually referred to as a Peking stitch or knot, but is sometimes called the "forbidden stitch", presumably because it is so fine that the embroiderer risked her eyesight by using it, or perhaps because its use was reserved for the imperial household. But this is all likely nonsense because one finds it in Chinese export as well as domestic embroideries. You should Google Chinese embroidery schools to learn more. Different schools tended to use different types of stitches.

thanx, will go read up on the "forbidden stitch". this was my great grandma's (straits chinese penang) and as you suggested, probably a dowry piece.

From the color and patten, I think it was made in the period of the republic of China，and it’s well-preserved.

thank you for your reply. my great grandmother married in 1905. the republic period was 1912-1949, hence i think it could be late qing. however, could you explain about the color and pattern a bit more?

The color of this piece is so bright, so it probably used chemical pigment. You know before 1912, the pigment is all natural. Additionally, the typical color in the republic of China era is red, green, and blue, all bright color. Because 1905 is so near the republic of China era, the craft maybe is very similar. Do you have more pieces? Could I have your email or other contact information whatever it’s convenient for you, so we could talk any time. My email is [email protected]. You do have a great day.

thank you for your explanation.
FYI: recently found out that a Victoria & Albert museum expert explained that synthetic chemical dyes were introduced into China in the 1860s.

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