A WOMAN’S SILVER AND GOLD-EMBROIDERED SILK ROUNDEL ROBE, 19TH CENTURY

Expert’s note:
The lavish use of gold and silver thread as well as the typical courtly motifs - including bajixiang, peonies, terrestrial diagram, and lishui - indicate that the present robe was made for a high-ranking woman.

China. Finely woven on midnight-blue ground and intricately couched in gold and silver-wrapped threads with eight symmetrically arranged roundels enclosing a central peony blossom surrounded by the Eight Buddhist Emblems (bajixiang), smaller peonies, and gourds, all above the terrestrial diagram and lishui stripe separated by lingzhi clouds and frothing waves, interspersed by rockwork and bamboo as well as ribboned coral branches and ruyi scepters. The lishui with four evenly spaced peony blossoms. The robe trimmed with a similarly decorated high collar as well as sky-blue sleeve bands and lining. With five original gilt-metal buttons.


Provenance
: London trade.

Condition
: Very good condition with only minor wear, few tiny losses, and minor pulls.

Dimensions: Length 112 cm, Width 127 cm (across sleeves)


Literature comparison:

Compare a related light blue satin jacket similarly decorated with roundels in couched gold thread, dated to the late 19th century, length 110 cm, width 162 cm, included in the exhibition in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, in Heavens’ Embroidered Cloths: One Thousand Years of Chinese Textile, 23 June to 17 September, 1995, p. 246-7.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 21 July 2020, lot 78
Estimate: USD 20,000 or approx.
EUR 22,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare Imperial midnight-blue gold and silver couched prince’s surcoat, bufu, 18th/early 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of weaving, also with gold and silver-threaded roundels against a midnight-blue ground. Note the dragon motif, that the lot comprises a surcoat (as opposed to a robe like the present lot), and the size (128.2 cm).




十九世紀石青地金銀刺綉團花紋外袍

中國。 石青色八團花紋織金銀緞，圓領，對襟，平袖，左右及後開裾。採取二色金銀線的裝飾方法在石青色緞地上織八團花紋樣，牡丹花，四周暗八仙。江崖麗水紋，點綴牡丹、假山、竹子、珊瑚以及如意紋。襟綴銅鎏金鏨花扣五粒。二色金的暈色使紋樣層次分明，織造工整，風格嚴謹莊重。


來源：
倫敦古玩交易。

品相：
狀況非常好，只有輕微磨損，少量微小缺損和輕微綫頭鬆開。

尺寸：長 112 厘米, 寬 127 厘米 (兩袖之間)


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的十九世紀末刺繡淺藍地團花紋女袍，長110厘米，寬162厘米，展覽於香港藝術博物館 ，《錦繡羅衣巧天工》，1995年6月23日至9月17日，頁246-7。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約邦翰斯，2020年7月21日，lot 78
估價：USD 20,000（相當於今日
EUR 22,000
）
描述：十八/十九世紀初御製石青緞盤金四團龍皇子補服
專家評論：比較相近的編織方式，在午夜藍色的底色上也採用金銀線圓珠。請注意龍紋主題，此含一件外衣和尺寸 (128.2厘米)。