A RARE LARGE IMPERIAL 'CHRYSANTHEMUM' VELVET DAIS (KANG) COVER QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG PERIOD

consisting of three joined panels of cut and uncut silk velvet, centred with a large orange chrysanthemum bloom surrounded by six smaller blooms, all outlined in silvery grey thread, on a dense ground of foliate scrolls in gilt metal-wrapped thread against a honey-coloured cut-pile background, enclosed within a triple border of geometric fretwork, meandering lotus scroll and wan symbol key-fret

The Textile Gallery, London since 1982.
Lady Schiennen Collection, Kent, England.   
Asian Art Gallery, London, 2007.

The overall condition is very good with only loose purple vertical threads that make up the key fret and parts of the flowers and foliage. The threads were originally loosely tacked to the textile with perpendicular stitching. There has been little to no restoration on this textile. The colours are bright, especially the orange areas. The textile is now backed to a white cotton cloth with velcro for mounting.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Luxurious in design and materials, a section of a velvet cover related in style and decoration to the corners of the present piece is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, coll. no. M.80.23.1. Compare a later carpet, woven with cream and red lotus flowers on a dark purple-blue velvet ground, included in the exhibition The Art of Textiles, Spink & Son, London, 1989, cat. no. 83, along with further silk velvet panels embroidered with various designs, such as an earlier 'dragons' hanging, cat. no. 42, and a panel with bats on a swastika ground, cat. no. 75.

Silk pile cut-velvet appears to have been available in China from at least the beginning of the sixteenth century and were made in small quantities at factories in the south of China at Changzhou and Nanjing as tribute to the court.