A VERY RARE IMPERIAL YELLOW KESI TWELVE-SYMBOL DRAGON ROBE, JIFU
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HK$2,000,000 - HK$3,000,000
• ($258,847 - $388,270)

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Sale 2811
The Imperial Sale Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
31 May 2010
Hong Kong Buy Catalog

A VERY RARE IMPERIAL YELLOW KESI TWELVE-SYMBOL DRAGON ROBE, JIFU
XIANFENG PERIOD (1851-1861)

Woven in shades of blue, green, red, aubergine and ochre and vibrant gold threads with nine Imperial five-clawed dragons clutching or confronting 'flaming pearls' amidst clusters of clouds interspersed with shou characters, bats and other auspicious symbols, above rolling waves centred by the terrestrial diagram and lishui stripe at the hem, the twelve symbols of Imperial authority arranged in three groups of four: the sun, moon, constellation and rock around the neck; the fu symbol, axe, paired dragons and golden pheasant around the body; the pair of temple cups, aquatic grass, grains of millet and flames above the spume-flecked waves, with blue and black-striped sleeve extensions, and matching dark blue collar and cuffs, within gold and black keyfret brocade edgings
58 1/2 in. (148.5 cm.) long x 70 1/2 in. (179 cm.) across

清咸豐 明黃色緙絲彩雲金龍紋十二章吉服袍

此吉服1997年於澳洲悉尼動力博物館展出。

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An Australian private collection
Linda Wrigglesworth

Sydney, Powerhouse Museum, Evolution & Revolution, Chinese Dress 1700-1990's, 1997.

The gender-differentiated Qing dynasty formal and ritual garments, classified as chaofu, reflected divergent lines of development based on occupation: men rode horses, wore trousers and required clothing that permitted them to sit in a saddle and that stayed in place while their hands were occupied; women tended herds on foot. In contrast, the class of Qing semi-formal court attire that evolved during the first century of Manchu rule for administrative purposes followed a different line of development. These garments were based on dragon-patterned unofficial robes used by the Ming dynasty court called longpao or mangpao, which had been unavailable to the Manchu before 1644. By the mid-eighteenth century the Qing renamed these dragon-patterned robes jifu, a name drawn from classical historical sources, which can be literally translated as 'auspicious coat'. See S.V.R. Cammann, China's Dragon Robes, New York, 1952, p. 22.

The cosmic imagery of jifu decoration, rather than construction features, was of paramount concern. See J. E. Vollmer, Five Colours of the Universe: Symbolism in Clothes and Fabrics of the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911), Edmonton Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 1980, pp. 22-3. As a result, the garment extended from shoulder to floor for both genders to provide an uninterrupted surface for decoration. Gender identifiers were reduced to subtle, non-structural features. Male jifu were vented at the center front and back acknowledging Manchu origins as mounted warriors. Womens' jifu remained vented at the sides. In addition, female coats carried an extra band that matched the neck facings and cuffs.

The Twelve Ancient Symbols of Imperial Authority first appeared on the Manchu emperor's clothing after 1759. See G. Dickinson and L. Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, London, 1990, pp. 75-95. The symbols were conspicuously absent from Qing ritual and ceremonial attire prior to this date. Scholars have speculated that such blatantly Chinese symbols were alien to Manchu ideals. They cite the resounding rejection by the Shunzhi emperor (r.1644-1661) to the suggestion by a Chinese official that the new emperor assume the traditional Chinese ceremonial hat and robes with the Twelve Symbols when officiating at the great annual sacrifices (Cammann, op.cit., p. 87). The addition of this set of symbols to the Qing imperial wardrobe a century after the conquest reveals a shift in Manchu political strategy. The Twelve Ancient Symbols were superimposed on the general decorative schema of Qing court garments, losing the visual prominence they had enjoyed during the Ming dynasty. Nonetheless, they emphatically demonstrated the Qing intention of embracing the traditional role as rulers of the Chinese empire. See J. E. Vollmer, "Power in the Inner Court of the Qing Dynasty: The Emperor's Clothes," Proceedings of the Denver Museum of Natural History, series 3, no. 15, November 1998, pp. 52-3. Under the Qing the first four symbols--sun, moon, stars, and mountain--were placed at the shoulders, chest and mid-back. The symbol of distinction (fu), hatchet, paired dragons, and the golden pheasant appeared at waist level. Temple-cups, aquatic grass, grains of millet, and flames were placed at knee level on the skirts of the coat.

This kesi robe is a classic example of a mid-nineteenth century emperor's jifu. The dragons are worked in metallic gold threads with clouds almost exclusively in shades of blue against a yellow ground. The "five colours" of the clouds have been rendered as small colour accents throughout. The reasons for this variation were not recorded and most probably reflected fashionable tastes, rather than ritual requirements. Among the earliest examples of the predominant blue and yellow schema for an emperor's twelve-symbol dragon robe is an embroidered satin robe in a London collection that dates to the late eighteenth century. See Dickinson and Wrigglesworth, op.cit., p. 33. However, most surviving pieces, like this example, date from the nineteenth century. See J. E. Vollmer, Decoding Dragons: Status Garments in Ch'ing dynasty China, Eugene, Oregon, Museum of Art, 1983. pp. 143 and 209.

• Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

• 19th Century
• dragon
• All other categories of objects
• embroidery
• China
• Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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