A mandarin square, or rank badge, buzi, made of silk and woven in tapestry or kesi' (k'o-ssu) technique for the back of a court surcoat. It depicts a mandarin duck, the emblem of rank of a civil official of the seventh rank. The bird, woven in pink, blue and white silk, is looking upwards towards a red sun in the top left hand corner. Its wings are outstretched and it is standing on one, its left leg. Surrounded it on a brown ground are blue clouds, and dotted about are many symbolic motifs, including two bats, a fan, fish, and a conch (?). The sea is depicted using converging diagonal lines. The imagery is framed with a swastika patterned border, worked in brown silk and metal-wrapped thread. On the obverse are four blue strips attached to the selvedges, vestiges of the original garment. [Textile]
