Dear Monique,

Thanks for additional pictures. You have good quality Chinese embroidery panels on silk done in what is called the forbidden stitch. It actually means that the knots itself are so tiny and needed so much concentration and good eyesight that it is being said the lady's went blind by making this embroideries and therefor it was forbidden. The funny thing is; there is no clear evidence for that and it appears there was no official prohibition of this type of embroidery by the Chinese government. So it appears to be a wide spread rumour wich is quite old and persistent. Nevertheless is the forbidden stitch recognized by dealers and collectors and sought after. Your panels are interesting in colour and decoration. My estimation is based on the four panels. I date the panels to around 1900. Could be a little earlier or also a little later.

Regards,

Simon Breider