LATE QING DYNASTY

This robe is finely woven with The Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority, which were prescribed by official dress edicts and first appeared on the Manchu emperor’s clothing in 1759. These symbols were superimposed on the general decorative scheme of Qing court garments, and could only be worn by the emperor, empress, empress dowager, and crown prince. Yellow robes, like the present robe, could only be worn by the emperor and empress. These symbols are arranged in three groups of four: the sun, the moon, constellation, mountain, fu symbol, axe, paired dragons, golden pheasant, pair of libation cups, aquatic grass, grains of millet and flames.

A nearly identical embroidered yellow silk ‘twelve symbol’ ‘dragon' robe, dated to the Daoguang period, is in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, The John R. Van Derlip Fund, 44.9.2. The Minneapolis robe has several of the same unique elements seen on this robe, including the lishui stripe interspersed with crashing waves.