Rank Badge with Mandarin Duck

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The mandarin duck corresponds to the seventh civil rank. The birds on rank badges referred to actual species but did not necessarily reflect nature; they were represented in ways that became conventional but were not always consistent. Here, for example, the mandarin duck's feet are not webbed, while the mandarin duck in the badge exhibited next to this one has webbed feet.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art