Scarf - Emperor Huizong of Song Auspicious Cranes Square Faux Silk, 35.5 in

Auspicious Cranes Scarf: An Emperor's Omen in Teal

This Auspicious Cranes scarf fills a square with white cranes on a teal sky. Each bird has a red crown and trailing legs. Golden palace rooftops run along the lower edge. As a Huizong art scarf it brings Song court painting to everyday wear.

The image follows Auspicious Cranes, a painting attributed to Emperor Huizong. It is held at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang. Tradition says a flock of cranes circled above the palace in the capital, Bianjing, in 1112. That city is now Kaifeng. The emperor took the sight as a good omen and recorded it.

Product Details

• Material: Satin polyester faux silk
• Finish: Satin, printed on one side
• Edges: Stitched
• Size: 35.5 in x 35.5 in (90 x 90 cm)
• Product number: EV1028

An Emperor Who Painted

Huizong reigned from 1100 to 1125. The Metropolitan Museum notes that he was an accomplished painter and calligrapher. Under him, imperial support for the arts reached a high point. He valued painting that stayed true to nature but added poetic meaning.

The Imperial Painting Academy trained artists in this close, descriptive style. This Song dynasty painting shows twenty cranes. Two perch on the roof ridge, and the others wheel across the sky.

An Auspicious Cranes scarf is a quiet way to carry Song court taste. The Huizong art scarf keeps the pale cranes crisp against teal. Like any Song dynasty painting of birds, it prizes careful observation. Every Chinese crane scarf echoes an old wish for long life.

Why Cranes?

In Chinese culture the crane stands for long life and virtue. Cranes over the palace promised heaven's approval. A Chinese crane scarf like this one carries that wish for good fortune.

Huizong's reign ended badly. Jin forces took the capital in 1127, and he died a prisoner.

Wearing and Displaying the Scarf

Wear it at the neck or over the shoulders. The teal looks fresh against cream, gray or black. Keep it out of direct sunlight to protect the printed colors.

Hang the Auspicious Cranes scarf flat to count the birds. A Song dynasty painting rewards slow looking, and so does this print. The Huizong art scarf also folds into a slim band for a bag. Display the Auspicious Cranes scarf beside a vase of branches. A Chinese crane scarf pairs well with cream or gray.

More Asian art is in our Asian art collection. For a matching accessory, see our tote bag collection.

Song Court Painting

The Northern Song dynasty ruled China from 960 to 1127. Its court painters favored careful, naturalistic pictures of birds, flowers and landscapes. Huizong shaped that taste more than any other ruler. His academy set a standard that later artists studied for centuries.

For More Reading from the Web

• Place Huizong and his painting academy within the larger story of Northern Song art. Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) - Heilbrunn Timeline, Metropolitan Museum of Art