Lot 2153
2153
A RARE IMPERIAL EMBROIDERED BLUE SILK DRAGON ROBE, JIFU
A RARE IMPERIAL EMBROIDERED BLUE SILK DRAGON ROBE, JIFU
1 More
THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN GENTLEMAN
AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED BLUE SILK DRAGON ROBE FOR A SEVENTH TO NINTH RANK CIVIL OFFICIAL IN THE IMPERIAL BOARD OF STATE MUSIC, JIFU

EARLY GUANGXU PERIOD, CIRCA 1885

Details
AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED BLUE SILK DRAGON ROBE FOR A SEVENTH TO NINTH RANK CIVIL OFFICIAL IN THE IMPERIAL BOARD OF STATE MUSIC, JIFU
EARLY GUANGXU PERIOD, CIRCA 1885
The vibrant marine-blue ground is finely embroidered in satin stitch with five four-clawed dragons, unusually designed with a single large dragon coiling around the neck of the garment, with its head facing left on the chest as it clutches a 'flaming pearl' in its claw, its sinuous and muscular body straddling the upper back. The decoration is above pairs of dragons on the front and back panels hovering above the terrestrial diagram and Lihua stripe at the hem. The overall ground is embellished with lengthy cloud clusters picked out in shaded tones of blue, the dragons worked in blue and vibrant purple shades, their scales carefully rendered and delineated by couched gold outline, the stripe in shades of green, ochre, blue and further purple from which issue auspicious emblems. The matching black collar and cuffs are worked with further matching dragons, and faintly corded black sleeve extensions, with brocade borders and metal buttons. The pale blue lining of the robe has a black rectangular printed seal on the right-hand closure.
53 1/4 in. (135.3 cm.) long x 90 1/2 in. (229.9 cm.) across
Provenance
Purchased London, late 1970s
Literature
G. Dickinson and L. Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, Berkeley and Toronto, rev. ed., 2000, pp. 165 and 167, pls. 147-148
Exhibited
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Fitchburg Museum of Art, Costumes from the Forbidden City, May 1989

Brought to you by

Nick Wilson
Nick Wilson

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

Tel: +852 2760 1766

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

Sign in
View condition report

Lot Essay

This robe is discussed by G. Dickinson and L. Wrigglesworth in Imperial Wardrobe, op. cit., p. 167, where the robe is identified as the property of the Board of State Music, a department of the Board of Ritual. It is noted that such a robe would have been worn by a sub-director of the board who would have had the seventh rank.

More from Imperial Sale; Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

View All
View All