Mandarin Rank Badge - Civil Order

Chinese mandarin square or rank badge showing a wild goose embroidered in couched gilt thread. c1850 The badge is from the back of a man's robe. The badge shows the bird standing on rock work above a turbulent sea with the waves shaped as ruyi heads. The sky is embroidered with stylized ruyi headed clouds. Both the sea and the sky have the Buddhist treasures The border is embroidered with couched gilt and metallic thread with bats and shou signs. As the badge is relatively uncluttered it usually signifies the start of a new Emperor's reign The wild goose being the fourth rank was worn by civil servants that could have had positions as; Directors or Assistant Directors of Imperial Household, Courts, Censorates, Foreign Relations with Tributary States, Circuit Indents, Assistant salt Controllers. Couching metallic is not easy this has excellent couching and embroidery All mounted and conserved
Small loss of gold thread
 from a private collection