Hanging of white gauze-weave silk, painted with flowers and birds.This cream gauze panel was painted in China for export to Europe, although it is not clear exactly how it would have been used in a Western interior. It could have served as a coverlet or a decorative hanging. The neutral colour of the background is a common feature of painted export silks of this type but would not have been admired in China itself.Hanging, gauze-weave silk, painted with flowers and birds, China, ca. 1864