At the Dragon Court: Chinese Embroidered Mandarin Squares from the Schuyler V.R. Cammann Collection
龙庭：中国的补子

In the early Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), an imperial edict ordered all officials of the Chinese court to display their military or civil rank via badges, known as Mandarin squares (buzi, 补子), on their official robes. To enhance these material symbols of power, graceful cranes, ferocious felines, mythical unicorns, and golden imperial dragons were intricately embroidered into silk squares or roundels. Each rank level had a particular symbol, the use of which was strictly regulated. Displaying over fifty Mandarin squares, officials’ robes, scrolls, and some paintings, this exhibition represented the finest craftsmanship in Chinese textile art and the culture of buzi in imperial courts.