kanjian
Sleeveless Jacket
1850-1875 (made)
1850-1875 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
For centuries, clothing for children had generally been made as miniature versions of adult garments. Although smaller in scale, decorations were still chosen with great care and often had auspicious meaning, displaying the love and aspirations of parents for their children. Across the front and back of this sleeveless jacket for a child (kanjian), two playful lions chase a brocade ball, worked in knot stitch with floss silks and couched gold-wrapped threads.
Lions were not native to China, and such imagery would have been brought into the country with Buddhism (lions are often found guarding the entrances to Buddhist temples). In this context, the animals were generally associated with protection from evil spirits. Here, their curly manes and tails have an iridescent green tone derived from peacock-feather threads (bluish green silk threads entwined with peacock-feather filaments). The use of such a splendid material is characteristic of Cantonese embroidery (yue xiu), produced in Guangdong province.
Surviving examples, woven or embroidered with peacock-feather threads, including furnishing textiles and imperial robes, are extremely rare, with the oldest being dating to the early 17th century. The child who wore this garment possibly came from a noble family.
Nine gilt-brass buttons, each decorated with a lion rampant holding a crown, finish off this sleeveless jacket for a child. These buttons were originally used for embellishing military uniforms for the East India Company, founded in London in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. The inscription on the reverse reads, 'STANDARD TREBLE GILT, M.S. & J.D.' indicating that the buttons were made by Mark Sanders & John Deykin of Birmingham.
It is unclear how British military buttons ended up on this jacket. One possible explanation is that the lion design - echoing the two Buddhist lions, symbols of protection, embroidered on the main body of the garment - appealed to the Chinese. The lion was also the insignia of a second-rank military official during the Qing dynasty, and is associated with wishes for the child’s future success.
Lions were not native to China, and such imagery would have been brought into the country with Buddhism (lions are often found guarding the entrances to Buddhist temples). In this context, the animals were generally associated with protection from evil spirits. Here, their curly manes and tails have an iridescent green tone derived from peacock-feather threads (bluish green silk threads entwined with peacock-feather filaments). The use of such a splendid material is characteristic of Cantonese embroidery (yue xiu), produced in Guangdong province.
Surviving examples, woven or embroidered with peacock-feather threads, including furnishing textiles and imperial robes, are extremely rare, with the oldest being dating to the early 17th century. The child who wore this garment possibly came from a noble family.
Nine gilt-brass buttons, each decorated with a lion rampant holding a crown, finish off this sleeveless jacket for a child. These buttons were originally used for embellishing military uniforms for the East India Company, founded in London in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. The inscription on the reverse reads, 'STANDARD TREBLE GILT, M.S. & J.D.' indicating that the buttons were made by Mark Sanders & John Deykin of Birmingham.
It is unclear how British military buttons ended up on this jacket. One possible explanation is that the lion design - echoing the two Buddhist lions, symbols of protection, embroidered on the main body of the garment - appealed to the Chinese. The lion was also the insignia of a second-rank military official during the Qing dynasty, and is associated with wishes for the child’s future success.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Satin-weave silk; embroidery in silk, metallic and peacock feather threads; gilt brass |
| Brief description | Sleeveless jacket for a child (kanjian), satin-weave silk; embroidery in silk, metallic and peacock feather-wrapped threads, China, Qing dynasty, 1850-75 |
| Physical description | Sleeveless jacket for a child (kanjian) in two parts: the back and shoulders in one piece, the front in another, fastened at the front and sides with loops of black satin and nine buttons of gilt metal patterned with a lion rampant holding a crown and inscribed on the back: 'Standard Treble Gilt, M.S. & J.D.' Dark blue satin embroidered, front and back alike, in coloured silks and cord and silver thread in knot and satin stitches and couched work, with a design of two Buddhist lions chasing a flaming jewel, with a round lidded box from which two beetles are escaping. A ruyi sceptre and lotus flower above, and peach, lotus and Buddha's hand citron below. The embroidery is mainly in blue and gold with touches of green, red, yellow white and black. The embroidered areas bordered with a narrow yellow ribbon woven with small flowers in blue, green and red, and bound with black satin. The sleeveless jacket is lined with blue silk damask woven with a fret pattern incorporating formal flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Standard Treble Gilt, M.S. & J.D.' (maker's mark on back of gilt buttons) |
| Object history | RF1965/351. Buttons with a lion rampant holding a crown were found on uniforms of the Honourable East India Company, commonly known as the East India Company (founded in London in 1600 and dissolved in 1874). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | For centuries, clothing for children had generally been made as miniature versions of adult garments. Although smaller in scale, decorations were still chosen with great care and often had auspicious meaning, displaying the love and aspirations of parents for their children. Across the front and back of this sleeveless jacket for a child (kanjian), two playful lions chase a brocade ball, worked in knot stitch with floss silks and couched gold-wrapped threads. Lions were not native to China, and such imagery would have been brought into the country with Buddhism (lions are often found guarding the entrances to Buddhist temples). In this context, the animals were generally associated with protection from evil spirits. Here, their curly manes and tails have an iridescent green tone derived from peacock-feather threads (bluish green silk threads entwined with peacock-feather filaments). The use of such a splendid material is characteristic of Cantonese embroidery (yue xiu), produced in Guangdong province. Surviving examples, woven or embroidered with peacock-feather threads, including furnishing textiles and imperial robes, are extremely rare, with the oldest being dating to the early 17th century. The child who wore this garment possibly came from a noble family. Nine gilt-brass buttons, each decorated with a lion rampant holding a crown, finish off this sleeveless jacket for a child. These buttons were originally used for embellishing military uniforms for the East India Company, founded in London in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. The inscription on the reverse reads, 'STANDARD TREBLE GILT, M.S. & J.D.' indicating that the buttons were made by Mark Sanders & John Deykin of Birmingham. It is unclear how British military buttons ended up on this jacket. One possible explanation is that the lion design - echoing the two Buddhist lions, symbols of protection, embroidered on the main body of the garment - appealed to the Chinese. The lion was also the insignia of a second-rank military official during the Qing dynasty, and is associated with wishes for the child’s future success. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.84-1965 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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