A SILK EMBROIDERED ‘MECHANICAL CLOCK TRIBUTE’ FRAGMENT, CHINA, 1680-1720
Of rectangular form, finely embroidered in satin stitch with silk and gold-wrapped threads to depict two foreign emissaries of Persian and Mongolian origin, respectively, amid rockwork, bamboo, lotus blossoms, and a tree.

The emissaries dressed in elaborate robes decorated with roundels and lotus blossoms, carrying tributes in form of a large coral branch and a table clock, the latter finely decorated with gold-stitched lotus blossoms, ruyi head designs, two gold hands and a bud finial.


Provenance:
English trade. Acquired from a private estate where is has been since c. 1920, by family repute.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age, showing old wear, loose threads, light staining, fading, small tears, and obvious losses. Despite its fragmentary nature, this piece is displaying extraordinary well.

Dimensions: Image size 58.5 x 43.7 cm, Size incl. frame 66 x 51 cm

Framed behind glass. (2)


The interest in collecting European clocks at the Chinese court
began in the late Ming dynasty when the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), in an effort to reach the capital, presented the Wanli emperor in 1601 with a watch, and a chiming clock that sounded the half- and quarter-hours. Ricci used this clock as a means of gaining access to the highest reaches of Chinese society.


Mechanical clocks
were among the most prized tributary gifts given to Chinese courtiers and ultimately to emperors of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The interest in Western clocks reached its peak under the rule of Kangxi who was fascinated with Western science, technology, and elaborate clockwork. Jesuit missionaries like Matteo Rippa (1682-1746) were impressed with the vastness of Kangxi’s collection, which reached more than 4,000 clocks.


The notoriety of clocks as foreign tribute
slowly declined after the establishment of the first imperial clockmaking factory in 1732 by the Yongzheng emperor. There is a notable absence of clocks as tribute in the monumental painting ‘Ten Thousand Nations Coming to Pay Tribute’, created during the Qianlong’s reign in 1761. The emperor Qianlong, however, continued to amass what came to be the largest collection of watches and clocks during his reign; he commissioned many of these clocks from the imperial palace workshops in Guangzhou. According to a conservator at the Palace Museum, Beijing, there are “Nearly 1,600 timepieces in the collection of The Palace Museum - all hailing from the Qing dynasty."




1680-1720
年刺繡《外朝人物進貢鐘錶》殘片


呈長方形，用絲線和金線刺繡，分別描繪了兩位來自波斯和蒙古的外國使者，周圍有假山、竹子、蓮花和一棵樹。使者身著外朝長袍，手持大珊瑚枝和座鐘，鐘上飾有精美的纏枝蓮花、如意等紋飾。細節精美。


來源：
英國古玩交易，購自據説建立於1920年的私人收藏。

品相：
品相良好，有磨損、線頭鬆動、輕微污漬、褪色、小撕裂和明顯缺損。

尺寸：畫面58.5 x 43.7 厘米，總66 x 51 厘米

玻璃面裝框。(2)