Pictorial Panel with Chenille

Chinese folk work with Western influence. Embroidered small square with a pictorial scene. A foo dog stands in front of stylized water, flanked by two figures; all in front of a large tree that is surrounded by birds and butterflies in flight. The interesting detail about it is that the flying creatures are all partially rendered with chenille. Though invented in the 18th century in France, chenille became popular in the 1830s which is probably the date of this piece. The rest of the handwork is done in Peking knot, also known as the forbidden stitch or French knot.