A LIGHT TAN SILK DAMASK INFORMAL ROBE, CHANGFU 19th centuryA LIGHT TAN SILK DAMASK INFORMAL ROBE, CHANGFU19th century Finely woven with dragon roundels, each containing a interlocking archaistic designs interspersed with curling tendrils within a border of acanthus leaves, all on a beige ground, lined in blue silk and with gilt metal buttons. 208cm (81 7/8in) wide 129cm (50 6/8in) long.十九世紀 暗黃色暗花緞常服袍Notable for its soft silk, subtle to the touch, the present robe would have been probably been worn during informal occasions. Compare with a related light tan silk damask robe, middle Qing dynasty, decorated with roundels depicting playful lions, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Costumes and Accessories of the Qing Court, Shanghai, 2006, no.45. See also an Imperial golden-yellow informal robe, Qianlong, decorated with roundels depicting sinuous dragons, in the Palace Museum collection, Beijing, illustrated by V.Wilson, Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City, London, 2011, p.116, fig.12.