Lot 1026
1026
AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED WOMAN'S COURT WAISTCOAT, XIAPEI
AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED WOMAN'S COURT WAISTCOAT, XIAPEI
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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF AN AMERICAN GENTLEMAN
AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED WOMAN'S COURT WAISTCOAT, XIAPEI

18TH-19TH CENTURY

Details
AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED WOMAN'S COURT WAISTCOAT, XIAPEI
18TH-19TH CENTURY
The dark blue silk ground is worked in couched gold threads and satin stitch with a pair of four-clawed profile dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls on the front, and a front-facing dragon on the back, all amidst clouds, bats and various precious objects above the terrestrial diagram, the lishui stripe, and a border of prunus blossoms and butterflies, all surrounding applied rank badges similarly worked with a paradise flycatcher.
43 ¾ x 43 ¼ in. (111.1 x 109.9 cm.)
Provenance
Linda Wigglesworth, London, 2006.

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Lot Essay


The xiapei was worn by the wives of Han Chinese officials, who applied badges representing their husband's rank to the front and back. In this case, the badges display the paradise flycatcher, indicating that the wearer was the wife of a ninth-rank civil official. The four-clawed mang dragons beneath the badge indicate the wearer's hereditary title, which in this case could have been junjun (Lady of a Commander), xianjun (Lady of a County) or xiangjun (Lady of a Township).

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