Imperial Cover or Hanging. About 1850. Silk and metal thread embroidery on silk. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of Dr. Arnold L. Tanis. 1974.216.

height: 108 in, 274.3200 cm; width: 132 in, 335.2800 cm

Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion

Textile Arts and Fashion-Asian

An imperial dragon and two phoenixes representing the emperor and empress dominate this royal gift. Carp turning into dragons, seen at the bottom, symbolize passing exams. Bats, whose name, fu, sounds the same as the word for good fortune, fill the background, as do images of Buddhist symbols, scholarly pursuits, and wish-granting clouds. The pagoda in the sea represents longevity: two cranes carry bamboo counters to place in the vase within the building. Each counter equals the time it takes for the ocean to change to solid land.

Gifted January 1974 by Dr. Arnold L. Tanis [Hollywood, FL] to Denver Art Museum

• "Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China's Last Dynasty," October 30, 2011 - January 29, 2012 (DAM)
• "Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China's Last Dynasty," Februrary 7 - May 18, 2014 (Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH)