QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

The jewelled torque, known as lingyue, was worn around the neck over the collar of a court robe and formed an important part of the formal attire of Qing dynasty noble women and members of the Imperial family. The wife of Emperor Qianlong, Empress Xiaoxianchun, for example, is depicted in her portrait with a gold lingyue inset with coral and pearls, illustrated in The Splendours of Royal Costume Qing Court Attire, Hong Kong, 2013, p. 21. A gold torque inset with eight segments of coral and pearls in the National Palace Museum is illustrated in Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ch'ing Dynasty Costume Accessories, Taipei, 1986, no. 75. A silver example inlaid with six segments of coral, kingfisher and rubies in the Beijing Palace Museum is illustrated in Treasures of Imperial Court, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2004, pl. 143. Christie's Hong Kong sold a coral and pearl-inset gold torque, 28 May 2014, lot 3355.