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Pair of imperial curtain hangings, mid 18th century
Unknown artist, Chinaexpand_more
Silk tapestry (kesi)expand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fundexpand_more 42.8.304.1
On View in Gallery 103expand_more
This pair of red curtains would have been appropriate for festive occasions. In China, red is a color of good fortune and celebration. It figures prominently in decorative textiles for birthdays, anniversaries, and New Year's celebrations. The dragon imagery here is the same symbolic vocabulary of dragons, clouds, waves, and mountains seen in official court robes. This indicates that this set was most likely used in one of the residential halls of the imperial palace.
