"Hundred Boys" Silk Brocade Panel

This 19th century silk brocade is comprised of two joined panels woven by hand depicting the auspicious "Hundred Children" motif, a symbol of abundance, happiness, and fertility with boys engaged in sports and contests, wrestling and running, bearing fruit and auspicious objects. Fine metallic silver threads are woven into a series of alternating narrow bands of key pattern, dragons and bats, replicated at the top and bottom. The "hundred children" motif is thought to be derived from the Zhou Dynasty (1027-256 BC) whose emperor was blessed with ninety-nine sons from his twenty-four wives and adopted an orphaned baby boy to make an even hundred. This tapestry is mounted on a linen board. A matching two panel brocade was sold at Christie's New York in 1998.