A MASSIVE RUBY-GROUND EMBROIDERED SILK 'BUDDHIST LION' ALTAR FRONTAL 19th centuryPROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DAVID AND NANCY HUGUSA MASSIVE RUBY-GROUND EMBROIDERED SILK 'BUDDHIST LION' ALTAR FRONTAL19th centuryThe long rectangular panel of raspberry-red silk brocade richly embroidered with six Buddhist lions and two qilin in a resplendent garden, the mythical creatures executed in couched gold-wrapped threads accented by green, blue, ivory, and beige embroidery in a variety of stitch techniques, each animal with an animated expression gaily interacting with a butterfly, bat, or one another, blossoming peonies, chrysanthemums, asters, grasses, and other flora throughout the composition, bordered on the sides and below by a 'floral' band, followed by a band of scrolling peony interlaced with the bajixiang, lined with cream-colored cotton cloth.24 x 140 3/4in (61 x 357.5cm)十九世紀 紅地刺繡瑞獅紋桌帷Dr. David Hugus is a renowned collector of Chinese rank badges, and an international authority on the subject. Prior to embarking on this pursuit, Dr. Hugus served with honor in the United States military. During his numerous tours in Asia and elsewhere, he earned a Masters in Science and a doctorate degree in Operations Research Systems Analyst (ORSA) from the Naval Postgraduate School, as well as a Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, and other distinctions. Upon reading an article by Schuyler Cammann of the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, Dr. Hugus discovered Chinese rank badges and took it upon himself to expand the canon of English-language scholarship on this topic. Since then, he has published Ladder to the Clouds: Intrigue and Tradition in Chinese Rank (2000, co-authored with Beverley Jackson) and Chinese Rank Badges: Symbols of Power, Wealth, and Intellect in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (2022). Over the course of his scholarship, Dr. Hugus and his wife, Nancy, have develop a distinguished collection of Chinese rank badges, textiles, and other works of art.