Military Rank Badge (Tiger)

This military rank badge was made in China in the second half of the 19th century. It is made out of silk and metallic thread.

Rank badges were worn on surcoats to identify an individual’s governmental standing. The badges were made in two halves so they could be placed on either side of a font-opening coat. Wives and children wore the rank badge of their father or husband. Different animals represented different ranks, and the way the animal was position often indicates if the badge was made for a man or woman.

The right facing tiger on this badge indicates that it was made for the wife of a fourth-rank military official. The body of the tiger is decorated with sets of three wavy lines and pinwheels. The square is also decorated with a number of Buddhist symbols, bats, and a solar disc. The polychrome silk is applied in satin stitch and forbidden stitch and the outlines are of couched metallic thread.