tray

Round wooden tray covered with textile, with four shallow feet. The rim is carved with nodules to resemble bamboo. The main centre panel of the base consists of multicoloured embroidery depicting two crossed 'ruyi' sceptres in rows of Peking knot seed stitch in silk with the shapes outlined in couched gold thread, surrounded by floral motifs, five bats, and two double gourds with good luck characters on black damask all in satin stitch. This is surrounded by a narrow ribbon of metal-wrapped thread with a black supplementary warp pattern in indigo and cream. Outside this is a border of blue and white embroidered butterflies and flowers in satin stitch on a black satin ground.

The textile element probably came from a robe, dateable to about 1800, though the tray may be later.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk