a and b: Pair of navy-blue “ho-pao” (perfume) pouches. Heavy satin, coarsely embroidered with satin and chain stitch. Within a border of rainbow stripes a blue and white chain around water, rocks and three bats. Image over center bat unidentified. Legend: “May all things go as you wish”. Back and front identical. Top gathered into fifteen pleats permanently stitched together. An olive green hanging strap loops 22 cm high with a fake turquoise bead 5 cm above the upper edge on both straps. It is flanked by windings in the traditional color scheme of white, navy blue, and black. The same arrangement on the double drawstrings emerging from the sides of the pleats. The turquoise bead and its windings combine both straps each time, but another winding occurs separately on both ends farther down the 18.5 cm long straps. They are simply cut off at the end. Width of bag: 12 cm; height: 11.3 cm. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: Prescribed rainbow colors around edge. re: bat image: the word for “bat” was the same, “fu”, as for good luck; so the image stood for good luck. These were Manchu pouches, but they didn’t come in with the Manchus - it’s an 800 year old design, dating back to the Sung Dynasty.
Donor:
Ilse Martin Fang
Collection place:
Beijing, Beijing municipality, Northern China
Verbatim coll. place:
China. Given to Ilse Fang in Peking by Hedda Hammer, photographer.
Culture or time period:
Manchu people
Collector:
Ilse Martin Fang
Collection date:
1944
Materials:
Satin
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Embroidery (visual works)
Function:
3.1 Status Objects and Insignia of Office
Production date:
early 20th century
Accession date:
December 15, 1998
Context of use:
Early 20th century. Part of officials’ uniform in imperial times. Presented by the emperor on New Year’s day to his officials. Fide: Ilse M. Fang, 8/28/2001: May have contained cotton drenched with perfume, or some medicine. Not really utilitarian; they don’t open. Only ceremonial. No one knows exact use. Made commercially.