Lot 109. An imperial chestnut-ground silk 'bats and shou symbols' brocade rectangular panel, Wanli period (1573-1620); 110cm (43 2/8in) high x 52cm (20 1/2in) wide. Sold for £11,475 (Estimate  £4,000-6,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022

Finely woven in a repeating pattern with six rows of large bats in flights, each carrying a vaporous lingzhi cloud supporting a golden Shou character, all interspersed with cruciform clusters of wispy clouds and reversed wan symbols on a light-chestnut ground, mounted.

Provenance: Jacqueline Simcox Ltd., London
An English private collection.

Published and Illustrated: Jacqueline Simcox Ltd., Chinese Textiles and Works of Art, London, 2005, p.25.

Note: Delicately woven with elegant designs conveying a highly-powerful and auspicious symbolism, the present panel may have been commissioned for the Wanli Emperor. An identical silk panel was excavated from the tomb of the Wanli Emperor, illustrated by Zhao Qichang and Wan Wang, The Royal Treasures of Dingling Imperial Ming Tomb, Beijing, 1989, p.271.

Combined with bats, homophone for 'happiness' (fu), the Shou characters, symbolising longevity, represent the rebus 'May you live happy for eternity', fushou. In addition, the combination of Shou and double wan from the rebus Wan Wan Shou meaning 'May you live for 10,000 years', which was the Imperial birthday greeting for the Emperor.

The combination of bats and Shou characters appears to have been reserved for use by the Emperor and his innermost family circles. See an embroidered silk festive badge, Wanli, decorated with the Shou characters and double wan, similarly positioned over a cluster of ruyi clouds on the back of an animal, a deer in this case, illustrated by J.Rutherford and J.Menzies, Celestial Silks: Chinese Religious & Court Textiles, Sydney, 2004, no.40.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 3 November 2022, London, New Bond Street