Rank Badge with Qilin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The unusual animal on this rank badge is an alternative representation of the qilin, an auspicious mythological beast that is said to appear in the reign of a virtuous ruler. In the Ming dynasty, qilin badges were worn as the insignia of nobles. The qilin seen here is similar to one on a badge excavated from the tomb of Duke Xu Fu, who died in 1517. The animal in Xu Fu's badge has a slightly longer neck, but its coat has a similar hexagonal pattern. That pattern is also found on a painted giraffe exhibited nearby. A gift of this exotic beast to the Yongle emperor in 1414 occasioned many flattering comments among senior officials that a qilin had appeared, implying that the Yongle emperor, a usurper, was the rightful ruler. This occurrence must have been the beginning of the conflation of giraffe and qilin.

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