Rank Badge with Mandarin Duck

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The mandarin duck corresponds to the seventh rank of civil officials. By the end of the seventeenth century, Qing dynasty norms had developed and taken hold in the iconography of rank badges. At that time the animals and birds on badges were depicted looking at a sun disk, said to represent the emperor. It is seen in the upper right of this badge.

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