Audience chain

Museum number:

9-21345

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm21090021345

Alternate number:

IV-1 (original number)

Accession number:

Acc.4697

Object count:

1

Description:

“Audience Chain” Four sets of 27 black beads separated by amethyst balls and strung on yellow silk cord constitute the front. Back: navy blue, stiff cord, first cased in embroidered red and white ribbon, then looped through a coin-shaped ring of brass, where they meet the lower double cord that runs through another amethyst ball as a red silk cord. Pendant starting from a third hole in this amethyst ball: three-tiered amethyst slide of decreasing width on red braided cord which runs into a black cotton braided tape (11 cm long), its other end looped through an eye in a filt-bronze plaque holding an oval turquoise. As usual, the tape-ends are secured by winding tri-colored threads around them: white - light blue - navy blue - white. Under the turquoise another black tape (16 cm long). Then a silver(?) wire ring secured by a red cord, a small crystal bead and a tear-drop shaped piece of pink quartz capped by a brass(?) bell-shaped cover. Two shoulder pendants are left on this chain. Strung on blue cords and emanating from coin-shaped rings are ten or nine, respectively, corals, the final pendants a smaller version of the pink crystal chain pendant (here grenadine and emerald, respectively). Overall length of chain: 117 cm.

Donor:

Ilse Martin Fang

Collection place:

China

Verbatim coll. place:

Given to Ilse Fang by Erich Wolters, antique dealer. Manchu Dynasty 1644-1911 (Qing)

Culture or time period:

Manchu people and Qing dynasty (1644–1912 AD)

Collector:

Ilse Martin Fang

Collection date:

1945

Materials:

Amethyst, Brass (alloy), Bronze (metal), Coral (material), Cotton (textile), Crystal, Embroidery, Quartz (mineral), Silk, and Turquoise (mineral)

Object type:

ethnography

Function:

3.1 Status Objects and Insignia of Office

Production date:

1644-1912

Accession date:

December 15, 1998

Context of use:

Part of official's uniform.

Department:

Asia (except western Russia)

Dimensions:

length 117 centimeters

Images: