A MANDARIN'S SUMMER HAT, BLACK SATIN AUTUMN HAT AND A HAT BOX

19TH CENTURY

Details

A MANDARIN'S SUMMER HAT, BLACK SATIN AUTUMN HAT AND A HAT BOX
19TH CENTURY
The summer hat with a conical bamboo frame covered with a seamless piece of white silk gauze and decorated with a tassel of twisted red silk, with gold brocade trim on the rim and red cloth interior, surmounted by a clear glass button signifying an official of the fifth rank; the black satin autumn hat with stiff brim, with fine twisted red silk tassel and a gilt-metal button signifying an official of the seventh, eighth or ninth rank, the red cotton interior with the maker's label; the double-layered hat box of thin wood covered in lacquered leather parchment, the conical cover opening to reveal a circular upper tray to hold a summer hat, the bottom section for a winter or autumn hat, with a central cylindrical compartment with openwork cover to hold a court necklace, the sections hinged and fastened with metal latches
Summer hat 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm) diam.; autumn or spring hat 10 in. (25.5 cm.) diam.; box 13½ in. (34.3 cm.) diam., 15½ in. (39.5 cm.) high (3)

Provenance

McCoy Jones Collection.

Lot Essay

A similar summer hat, along with a winter hat, was included in the exhibition, Dress in Hong Kong: A Century of Change and Customs, Hong Kong Museum of History, Urban Council, Hong Kong, 1992, p. 41 (bottom).

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