18th century Each finely woven with silk of muted tones and couched gold threads on a deep blue ground depicting a leopard gazing at the sun with a gaping mouth, standing on grass amidst a profusion of trailing blue clouds and a flaming jewel, within a leiwen border. 32cm (12 1/2in) wide x 31.5cm (12 3/8in) high. (2). Footnotes 十八世紀 刺繡豹紋三品武官補子 Provenance: an English private collection 來源: 英國私人收藏 The present pair of badges would have been worn by a military official of the third rank. Badges displaying fabulous creatures, birds or animals were worn by the members of the Qing ruling elites as part of their Court dress. The various species, whether real or imaginary, signified the wearer's rank and the badges were worn in pairs on the bufu surcoat. Accordingly, one badge was attached to the back of the surcoat, the other was made in two parts, which were respectively placed to the right and left hand side of the opening on the chest. Badges made for military officials of the highest ranks appear to have survived in lesser number than examples used by civil officials, and always had a central animal, as opposed to birds which decorated the civil insignia. Compare with a related silk embroidered 'leopard' rank badge, 19th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc.no.60.103.5. See a related silk embroidered rank badge, late Ming/early Qing dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams San Francisco, 17 December 2013, lot 8256.