"The Emperor's Dog"
Chinese Double-Sided Silk Embroidery Table Screen, Pekingese Puppy — Period Hongmu Rosewood Frame, Late Qing / Republic Era
A Pekingese puppy — bred for centuries as companion to Chinese emperors — rendered in the most demanding textile technique in Chinese art: confirmed double-sided different-image Suzhou silk embroidery (双面绣). Both faces depict the same dog in subtly distinct compositions, each capturing a separate emotional moment with equal technical mastery.
Executed entirely in split silk thread on fine silk gauze — zero painted or drawn guidelines. Color, contour, and individual whisker placement achieved through thread alone. Bears an embroidered studio seal in red thread (山蘇康繡).
Period hongmu rosewood frame, hand-constructed — confirmed by hand-cut mortise and tenon joinery, hand-carved fretwork, oxidized iron pivot hardware with tannin staining, and genuine age patina. Frame rotates 360 degrees.
Condition: Embroidery excellent. Minor marks in silk ground visible only within 12". One stable crack in upper spandrel, consistent with age.
Dimensions: ~7" circular aperture; ~10–11" overall frame.