GUANGXU PERIOD (1875-1908)

细节

AN IMPERIAL YELLOW-GROUND KESI TWELVE-SYMBOL DRAGON ROBE, JIFU
Guangxu period (1875-1908)
The yellow ground worked with eight metallic gold dragons, four in profile clutching flaming pearls amidst 'five color' clouds, and blue shou characters, finely shaded pink and red bats, and foaming and rolling waves, all above the undulating lishui stripe in fine shaded tones of red, brown, yellow, blue and purple, the twelve symbols arranged in three groups of four: the sun, moon, constellation and rock around the neck; the fu symbol, axe head, pair of small dragons, and golden pheasant around the body of the robe; the sacrificial vessels, water plant, flames and grain above the waves
56¼in. (143cm.) long

拍品专文

Compare a similar imperial yellow-ground kesi twelve-symbol robe illustrated by J.E. Vollmer, Five Colours of the Universe: Symbolism in Clothes and Fabrics of the Ch'ing Dynasty, The Edmonton Art Gallery, 1980, p. 2. See, also, a similar Manchu adolescent emperor's yellow-ground silk embroidered twelve-symbol robe illustrated by J.E. Vollmer, Decoding Dragons: Status Garments in Ch'ing Dynasty China, University of Oregon Museum of Art, 1983, pl. 94, pp. 143 and 209. For a discussion of the significance of each of the twelve imperial symbols, see G. Dickinson and L. Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, London, 1990, pp. 76-92.