Page 139 - 2020 December 10 Christie's Paris Arts of Asia Chinese Art

Qing dynasty court costume was regulated by the Huangchao liqi tushi Apricot-colored consorts robes are very rare and few extant example exist.
(Illustrated Precedents for the Ritual Paraphernalia of the Imperial Court) A mid-19th century embroidered apricot-ground ‘dragon’ robe made for
and the Da Qing Huidian (The Administrative Code of the Qing Dynasty). a second or third degree consort or for the wives of the emperor’s sons is
The laws attempted to control the use of entitlements to restricted colors, illustrated by V. Garrett in Chinese Dress from the Qing Dynasty to the Present,
fabrics and decorations for specific classes or grades of courtiers. Bright New York, 2007, p. 32, fig. 49. A Xianfeng-period embroidered partially-
yellow, or minghuang, was reserved for the emperor and his consort. The heir made apricot ‘dragon’ robe in The Linda Wrigglesworth Collection sold in
apparent and his consort used xinghuang, or ‘apricot yellow’, usually orange in The Imperial Wardrobe: Fine Chinese Costume and Textiles from The Linda
tone. The emperor’s other sons and their consorts wore jinhuang, or golden- Wrigglesworth Collection; Christie’s New York, 19 March 2008, lot 42.
yellow, which had an orange tone that is sometimes difficult to discern from
the xinghuang of the imperial heirs. This magnificent robe would have been
restricted for use by the consort of the crown prince, and thus the wearer could
have been the consort of the future Xianfeng emperor.

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