A BROWN-GROUND SILK BROCADE OFFICIAL'S COURT ROBE, CHAOFU

SECOND SESSION AT 2:00 P.M. PRECISELY (LOTS 200-423) TEXTILES VARIOUS PROPERTIES THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

Details

A BROWN-GROUND SILK BROCADE OFFICIAL'S COURT ROBE, CHAOFU
LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Woven in muted tones of brown, coral, green, blue and cream on the upper half with four bold four-clawed mang dragons, now altered to five-clawed dragons, encircled by stylized clouds, the attached pleated apron decorated with a band of confronted dragons above a narrow terrestrial diagram, the waistband similarly worked, all within narrow gold-couched inner borders and blue and gold brocade bands (some wear)
54½in. (141cm.) long

Lot Essay

The chao fu was the most formal of Manchu court garments and was worn at the most important court functions. This type of formal court robe would have been appropriate for third and fourth degree princes. A similar brown brocade chao fu of slightly later date, is illustrated by John E. Vollmer, Decoding Dragons: Status Garments in Ch'ing Dynasty China, University of Oregon Museum of Art, 1983, p. 36, pl. 1