A rare 'Gu Family' embroidered silk panel

A rare 'Gu Family' embroidered silk panel, 17th-18th century, Qing dynasty, exquisitely embroidered using hair-like filaments of silk floss in a satin stitch with an egret wading in water among arched lotus flowers beneath a willow tree, the lotus leaf and rockery with ink painted details, the silk threads in tones of green, russet, grey, ochre and cream on a honey-coloured silk ground, the scene highlighted with an inscription embroidered in black floss, and two embroidered seals 'lu xiang yuan' ('the Garden of Fragrant Dew') and 'yongshun guji' ('the Gu Family in Yongshun') in red, framed and glazed, 117cm x 50cm (with frame)Gu embroidery [gu xiu] is a family style of Chinese embroidery that originated from Gu Mingshi's family during the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644) in Shanghai. Traditionally seen as a leisure 'female activity' in Imperial China, the family's womenfolk innovatively integrated brush painting and embroidery in a complementary manner and brought such 'leisure activity' to another level. For the first time in the history of Chinese embroidery, women embroiderers had the opportunity to empower themselves by stitching their names on the works. The Gu family revived earlier Song-dynasty embroidery techniques by applying subtle shading and splitting the silk floss into even finer threads. Compare with an example of egret and lotus flowers dated to the Kangxi period at the Palace Museum, Beijing. Another 'Gu Family' panel with two identical seals can be found today at the Shanghai Museum, China. Another 'Gu Family' example sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 May 2008, Lot 1923. Provenance: Property of an English Gentleman清17-18世纪 顾绣一路芙蓉图屏绣印："露香园"（朱文圆印）"永顺顾记"（朱文方印）拍品来源：英国绅士收藏Condition Report: faded and some stainingCondition Report Disclaimer