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Textile

The Emperor Sailing from The Story of the Emperor of China

After a design by Guy-Louis Vernansal (French, 1648–1729) and others Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais under the direction of Pierre and Etienne Filleul (codirectors, 1711–22) France, Beauvais. 1716/22. Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts. Explore the catalogue record, image rights and documented connections from The Art Institute of Chicago.

The Emperor Sailing from The Story of the Emperor of ChinaAfter a design by Guy-Louis Vernansal (French, 1648–1729) and others Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais under the direction of Pierre and Etienne Filleul (codirectors, 1711–22) France, Beauvais · 1716/22The Art Institute of Chicago · CC0
Image & source
Large tapestry depicts Chinese emperor heading to sea in opulent ceremony.

Textile / Source record

The Emperor Sailing from The Story of the Emperor of China

Read the catalogue and evidence →
Maker
After a design by Guy-Louis Vernansal (French, 1648–1729) and others Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais under the direction of Pierre and Etienne Filleul (codirectors, 1711–22) France, Beauvais
Date
1716/22
Medium
Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts
Collection
The Art Institute of Chicago
Accession
2007.22
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Worcester Fund
Rights
Public domain · CC0

Public domain · CC0. Unchanged copy of the institution’s verified web image; smaller responsive JPEGs are resized derivatives. Full-resolution image remains linked to the institution. Editorial views may show a detail.

Institution’s full-resolution image ↗Museum reuse policy ↗

Institutional rights designation checked 2026-10-17. Catalogue descriptions are normalized from source data; visual interpretation may be unassessed.

Original museum record ↗Read the CC0 dedication ↗

A record, with reasons

Ways into this work

Open a description to see its meaning and evidence, or follow it into the collection.

Catalogue knowledge

Normalized from the museum’s record.

TextileObject type

An object classified as a textile.

A picture of cloth is not a textile object.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “Textile” in its object type field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

Textile

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

SilkMaterial

Silk recorded in the object's medium.

A depicted material or colour resemblance is a separate assertion.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts; silk (fiber); wool (textile)” in its medium/materials field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts; silk (fiber); wool (textile)

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

WoolMaterial

Wool is a material named in the museum catalogue.

An explicitly supplied catalogue description, normalized conservatively. It does not independently establish attribution, completeness, symbolism or historical influence.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts; silk (fiber); wool (textile)” in its medium/materials field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts; silk (fiber); wool (textile)

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

WeavingTechnique

Weaving is a making process named in the museum catalogue.

An explicitly supplied catalogue description, normalized conservatively. It does not independently establish attribution, completeness, symbolism or historical influence.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts; tapestry weaving” in its medium/techniques field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

Wool, silk, and silvered- and-gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave with some areas of 2:2 plain interlacings of silvered-and-gilt-metal wefts; tapestry weaving

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

BirdsSubject

Birds is a subject named in the museum catalogue.

An explicitly supplied catalogue description, normalized conservatively. It does not independently establish attribution, completeness, symbolism or historical influence.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “birds” in its subjects field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

birds

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

BoatsSubject

Visible boats in the represented scene.

Subject identification does not establish symbolic meaning or historical influence.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “boats” in its subjects field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

boats

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

ArchitectureSubject

Buildings or architectural spaces represented in the image.

Subject identification does not establish symbolic meaning or historical influence.

The Art Institute of Chicago supplies “architecture” in its subjects field. This label was normalized by the documented import rule.

architecture

Catalogue: The Art Institute of Chicago. Automated source-field normalization; no independent visual interpretation.
Source normalization checked 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-20.1

Visual observation

Observations of the displayed image.

Not yet assessed.

Artologium reading

Authored connections, open to interpretation.

Not yet assessed.

These descriptions belong to this object and its selected image. Unlisted features may be unassessed. Editorial observations and readings were developed with AI assistance; they do not establish the maker’s intent.