A SILK SUTRA COVER BY FAN JI, MING DYNASTY

A SILK SUTRA COVER BY FAN JI, MING DYNASTY
China, 15th-16th century. Finely woven with a repeated stylized peony motif, the top and bottom friezes with the maker's name, Fan Ji, alternating with floral symbols, as well as alternating stylized phoenixes and mirrors.
Inscriptions:
'Ming Wu Fan Ji (Ming, I, Fan Ji)' repeated on borders.
Provenance:
Rudolf Mangisch Galerie und Auktionshaus, Zurich, 16 November 1991, lot 503. Swedish private collection, acquired from the above. A copy of the Rudolf Mangisch catalog page for the present lot, erroneously describing the present lot as a scarf, and a copy of the signed invoice, dated 14 December 1991, stating a hammer price of CHF 1,200, accompany this lot.
Condition:
Superb condition, commensurate with age, and especially remarkable given the fragility of the material. Minor losses and soiling, some fraying to fringes.
Dimensions: Size 82 x 30.7 cm (incl. fringes) and 59 x 30.7 cm (excl. fringes)
Buddhist scriptures
, or sutras, that are bound accordion-style are often protected with covers composed of paperboard wrapped in decorative silk. Titles and volume numbers appear on strips of paper adhered to the fabric. The use of silk for sutra covers dates to at least the Tang dynasty (618-907), but most extant examples are from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and later, when the printing industry grew in China.
Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Ming-dynasty sutra cover, also with a design of repeated stylized motifs and a repeated signature to the border, sold by Michael Backman Ltd., London, inventory number 3387. Compare a considerably smaller unsigned sutra cover dated to the 16th century, also decorated with peonies, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2011.221.27, and another, dated 16th to early 17th century, in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, accession number 1940-4-544.
明代“明吾范記”經書絲蓋
中國，十五至十六世紀。精心編織牡丹圖案，頂部和底部兩邊可見商戶“明吾范記”字樣，與花卉紋交替，以及鳳凰紋和寶鏡紋。
來源：
蘇黎世Rudolf Mangisch 拍賣行，1991年11月16日 lot 503。瑞典私人收藏，購於上述收藏。隨附一份Rudolf Mangisch 目錄頁，上面描述為圍巾。並隨附一份簽名的賬單，日期為1991年12月 14日，落槌價為 CHF 1,200。
品相：
相對於材料的脆弱性，其品相極佳，與年齡相稱。 輕微的損失和污跡，有些邊緣磨損。
尺寸：82 x 30.7 厘米 (含流蘇) ，59 x 30.7 厘米 (不含流蘇)