Chinese embroidered artwork on silk - ' 100 Happy Children' , trees and dragons - £35

[Naiada]

I bought this beautifully coloured silk embroidery piece in Hong Kong in the early 1980s and it's been in storeage ever since so is in perfect condition. Selling for £35.

It measures 70cm x 40 cm. No two embroidered figures are exactly the same. 

 

I was told at the time that it was called '100 happy children' (maybe someone here can confirm??) and was based on the fable “100 Sons of King Wen of Zhou"(1152 – 1056 BC), who, according to the legend, had 99 sons and adopted one additional son to have a total of 100 and thus secured the continuing good fortune and prosperity of Zhou Dynasty. The Ming version painting of Hundred Heirs of Joy soon became a Chinese traditional symbol of fertility, good fortune and prosperity.

 

There are a lot of versions out there but this one has more detail and there seems to be a lot more going on in the scene than in other pieces I've seen.