A pair of hand-embroidered silk Collar Lobes ("Yunjian" fragments), Late Qing Dynasty, circa 1880, mounted and set within modern gold frames. Both with very typical minor fading and scattered fraying, but overall good condition. Collar sizes 30cmx25cm, frame size is 50x43cm. Shaped in a shoed-form lobe with scrolling, cloud like extensions to either side, outlined in indigo/black stain binding on a jade-green silk ground. Each is worked in polychrome silk floss using long-and-short and stain stick, depicting flowering peony sprays, a butterfly with outstretched wings, and stylised round fruit (likely pomegranate of Buddha's-hnd citron). These collars were stitched or tied around the neckline of a woman's formal robe or jacket and trace their origins back to Yuan-dynasty court dress and Daoist ritual vestments and by the C19th had become popular embellishments on women's semi-formal and festival dress, particualrly wedding and birthday robes. Surviving single lobes such as these were often mounted as framed textile art after the parent garment was broken up. The butterfly (huddie) motif is an emblem of joy, romantic love and marital happiness and because the word for butterfly is a area homophone of the character for an octogenarian (die), also carries secondary wish for longevity. Paired with peonies (wealth, honour and feminine beauty) and pomegranates or citrons (Fertility and abundant progeny), the combined motif forms a conventional rebus wishing the wearer a happy marriage and many descendants. These would make a wonderful gift. Please note that shipping costs are not solely the cost of the postal delivery service itself. Included within the shipping price is the work undertaken to research the article, to mount it, for photography, for uploading to Catawiki, for preparation and packaging the article securely and for transporting the article to the postal delivery agent for processing. 

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