CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, XIXEME SIECLE

The Qing court necklace was an essential part of court dress, indicating both rank and season, with different materials required for different ceremonies. The materials and form of the mandarin necklace were strictly codified in the Qing Huidian Tukao, written in the early Qing dynasty, and also in the Huangchao Liqi Tushi, compiled during Qianlong's thirtieth year (AD 1767). Linked to the Buddhist rosary, the complete necklace was composed of one hundred and eight beads separated into four sections of twenty-seven beads by larger 'Buddha's head' beads, and hung with three strings or tapes which hung down the back.