Valance
CultureChinese
Dateearly 18th century
MediumSilk brocade
DimensionsOverall: 35 × 68 inches (88.9 × 172.72 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number33-817
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionTemple valance for a rectangle between pillars. Upper part a rectangle of yellow brocaded silk with large quatrefoil motive of cut work in the center and four small coin designs cut out in four corners. Bordered with green brocade. Lower part of salmon brocade with circular blue medallions in the form of an arch. Each end is in the form of a ruyi head. Three ruyi heads (the center head is of yellow brocade) form the remainder of the arch.Gallery LabelThis valance, a short piece of drapery hung from the top, consists of many different fabrics that were quilted into shapes of coins and curved designs known as ruyi (translated: "as you wish"). During ceremonies or rituals in a temple, the valance would be hung between two columns or paired with banners. Temples repurposed fabrics donated by their communities to make new textiles. The practice of cutting and tearing the secular fabric, derived from Buddhist monasteries, symbolizes the separation of secular and monastic life.
Purchased at Peking Craft Shop by Caroline Frances Bieber, before 1933;
Purchased from Caroline Frances Bieber by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, in 1933.
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