JIAQING PERIOD (1796-1820)

The bright gold couching and the counted-stitch embroidery against the textured gauze ground provide a striking contrast. A very similar blue gauze dragon robe, but without the addition of the Eight Daoist Emblems, as in the present lot, is illustrated by C. Hall et al., Power Dressing, Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection, Asian Civilizations Museum, 2006, p. 147, no. 23, where the authors note that "blue was the color used on dragon robes worn by the third and fourth degree princes, nobles down to the eleventh degree, and officials". They further state that the appearance of the five-clawed dragons together with the color and style indicate that the robe was likely made to be worn by a third or fourth degree prince or noble, as would have been the case with the present robe.