A LARGE EMBROIDERED SILK 'NINE DRAGON' KANG COVER 19th centuryPROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DAVID AND NANCY HUGUSA LARGE EMBROIDERED SILK 'NINE DRAGON' KANG COVER19th centuryOf rectangular form with rounded corners, the pale yellow silk embroidered all over with wanzi keyfret in blue silk floss, the center with nine lively five-clawed dragons each striking different poses and sewn in couched gold-wrapped threads, bats, 'Auspicious Emblems', flaming pearls, and clouds drifting between the beasts, all enclosed by a rectangular border of gold-wrapped threads, the perimeter with further embroidered clouds, bats, bajixiang, and floral boughs, applied to a navy silk backing.40 x 51 3/4in (101.6 x 131.4cm) 十九世紀 刺繡九龍紋漳絨炕毯Provenance: Bonhams, San Francisco, 22 October 2001, lot 3348ADr. 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.