AN EMBROIDERED SILK LADY’S WEDDING ROBE AND MATCHING SKIRT, MANGAO, QING DYNASTY
China, 19th century. Finely woven in silk and gold-wrapped threads with ten fierce five-clawed dragons pursuing flaming pearls amid interlocked lingzhi-shaped clouds, auspicious and Daoist symbols, and flying cranes, all above the terrestrial diagram and lishui stripe separated by further clouds and crashing waves, interspersed by Buddhist symbols and precious objects. The collar and sleeve ends decorated with floral and foliate designs, the cuffs of blue silk similarly decorated with qilin, dragons, phoenixes, and Shou characters.


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

Condition:
Very good condition with minimal wear and soiling, few loose threads and minor pulls, small splits. The interior of the robe relined.

Dimensions: Length 110.5 cm, Width 147 cm (across sleeves); Skirt length 189 cm, Waist 113.5 cm


The bright yellow skirt
is similarly woven with eight phoenixes and four five-clawed dragons, all above terrestrial diagrams and lishui. The hems with river landscapes. (2)


Chinese wedding robes center around themes of good luck and happiness.
The dragon, phoenix, and red and golden colors are thought to bring good luck and happiness, hence they have been indispensable elements in Chinese wedding dresses for ages. The mangao was a type of yuanlingshan fashioned in the style of the Ming dynasty which was red in color and was once worn by the Han women as a court robe. Later this style of clothing was only worn on a brides wedding day, since the bride was regarded as an 'empress for the day.' Bridal clothes were thus marked with imperial symbols. Bridal attire was the most prestigious dress women wore, hence Han women were often depicted wearing these garments in the posthumous portraits created for family rites honoring their ancestors.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related wedding robe, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 78.71.2, illustrated in Robert D. Jacobsen’s book Imperial Silks, Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles in The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Vol. I, 2000, pp. 575. Compare a related robe, in the Mactaggart Art Collection, University of Alberta Museums, accession number 2005.5.195, illustrated by John E. Vollmer, Dressed to Rule: 18th Century Court Attire in the Mactaggart Art Collection, 2007, pp. 48. See also a hanging scroll with the portrait of a Han woman wearing a wedding robe, dated late 19th century, in the Mactaggart Art Collection, University of Alberta Museums, accession number 2004.19.78.1, illustrated ibid., p. 49.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christies London, 17 May 2013, lot 1291
Price: GBP 10,625 or approx.
EUR 15,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Red Manchu Summer Gauze Wedding Robe, 19th century
Expert remark: Note the identical purpose of this robe and compare the red color, dragon motif, and lingzhi clouds. Note the lack of a skirt.




清代刺繡婚禮女袍

中國，十九世紀。以絲金線精心刺繡而成，紅地十隻五爪龍在如意祥雲戲珠，暗八仙與飛鶴紋理，下方江崖麗水紋。領口和袖口飾有花卉和葉形圖案，藍色絲綢袖口同樣飾有麒麟、龍、鳳、壽字。


來源：
重要美國鑑賞家和中國長袍收藏家的私人收藏，並在同一家族傳承。

品相：
狀況非常好，少量磨損和污垢、鬆線，有小裂口。長袍的內部有重新襯裡。

尺寸：長 110.5 厘米, 寬 147 厘米(兩袖之間); 裙長 189 厘米, 胸圍113.5 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的囍服，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術館，館藏編號78.71.2，見Robert D. Jacobsen，《Imperial Silks，Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles in The Minneapolis Institute of Arts》，卷I，2000年，頁575。比較一件相近的囍服， Mactaggart Art 收藏，亞伯達大學博物館，館藏編號2005.5.195，見John E. Vollmer，《Dressed to Rule: 18th Century Court Attire in the Mactaggart Art Collection》，2007年，頁48。一件十九世紀末漢人女性囍服，Mactaggart Art收藏，亞伯達大學博物館，館藏編號2004.19.78.1，見上書，頁49。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2013年5月17日，lot 1291
價格：GBP 10,625（相當於今日
EUR 15,500
）
描述：十九世紀紅地滿州夏季薄紗囍服
專家評論：請注意喜事專用正紅色、龍紋和靈芝雲紋。請注意沒有裙。