A BLUE-GROUND KESI SILK ‘NINE DRAGON’ ROBE, JIFU, QING DYNASTY
China, 19th century. Finely woven with the prescribed nine five-clawed dragons chasing flaming pearls amid colorful lingzhi-shaped clouds, flying bats, Buddhist and auspicious symbols with leafy blossoming peony, all above a terrestrial diagram emerging from crashing waves and lishui stripe separated by further clouds, the sleeves also with lishui, the chestnut-ground collar and horse-hoof cuffs similarly worked with dragons. With five original gilt metal buttons.


Provenance
: An important private collection of an American connoisseur and collector of Chinese robes, and thence by descent in the family.

Condition
: Fair condition with some wear, loose threads, soiling and staining, small losses, splits, and tears mostly to the interior, few minor old repairs.

Dimensions: Length 137 cm, Width 217.5 cm (across sleeves)


Literature comparison:

Compare a related blue-ground robe in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, 134.5 cm long, dated to the mid-19th century, accession number 26.76, illustrated in Robert D. Jacobsen, Imperial Silks: Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles in The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2000, vol. 1, p. 191.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 18 December 2013, lot 6593
Price: USD 5,000 or approx.
EUR 6,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A kesi-woven blue silk dragon robe, late Qing dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related kesi technique, colors, and decoration. Note the size (141.5 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 August 2017, lot 164
Price: USD 10,625 or approx.
EUR 12,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Chinese blue-ground kesi dragon robe, Mangpao, Guangxu period
Expert remark: Compare the related kesi technique and dragon decoration. Note the size (140 cm).




清代石青色地緙絲九龍紋


中國，十九世紀。蓝地龙袍，栗色圓領，大襟右衽、馬蹄袖，九條蜿蜒五爪龍云中戲珠，中間點綴著百福紋、盛開牡丹紋、壽字紋以及佛教吉祥紋。下擺部分海水江崖紋，與袖子局部相同。配有五個原裝鎏金扣。


來源：
美國鑑賞家和中國長袍收藏家的重要私人收藏。，在同一家族傳承至今

品相：
狀況良好，有一些磨損、線頭鬆動、污漬、小缺損和裂口，主要在内襯有輕微的小修。

尺寸：長137 厘米, 寬217.5 厘米 (兩袖之間)


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的十九世紀中期藍地氅衣，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術館，長134.5 厘米，館藏編號26.76，見Robert D. Jacobsen，《Imperial Silks: Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles》，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術館，2000年，卷1，頁191。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：舊金山邦翰斯，2013年12月18日，lot 6593
價格：USD 5,000（相當於今日
EUR 6,000
）
描述：清末緙絲藍地龍紋袍
專家評論：比較非常相近的緙絲、顏色和裝飾。請注意尺寸(141.5 厘米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得， 2017年8月23日，lot 164
價格：USD 10,625（相當於今日
EUR 12,000
）
描述：光緒藍地緙絲蟒袍
專家評論：比較相近的緙絲和裝飾。請注意尺寸(140 厘米)。