QIANLONG-JIAQING PERIOD (1736-1820)

The dragons on the surcoats of Qing nobles and officials, were strictly regulated: the Emperor's surcoat, gunfu, had four front-facing dragons, two with Imperial symbols; the Emperor's sons also wore four-front facing dragons, with no symbols; and lesser princes wore a mixture of front and side-facing dragons.

A very similar dragon roundel bearing an Imperial Sun symbol is illustrated in Gary Dickinson & Linda Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, p. 123, pl. 103.