Page 78 - Ming_China_Courts_and_Contacts_1400_1450 Craig lunas

Chapter 7 The crown is one of the most spectacular parts of a Ming
empress’ costume. Surviving portraits of empresses in the
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The Empress’ Dragon National Palace Museum, Taipei, portray the splendour of
these headdresses (Pl. 7.1). Dome-shaped and with curved
Crown: Establishing panels extending from the back, they are decorated with

precious stones, pearls and gold. Not only are they items of
Symbols of Imperial opulence, they are also rich in symbolism, and are
impressive ways of communicating imperial authority and
Authority in the Early status. This chapter focuses on the crowns of empresses, and
to a lesser extent on their ceremonial robes, as a way to
Ming explore how ‘empress-ship’ was conceptualised in Ming
China in the period 1400 to 1450 – a topic that so far has not
been explored in scholarship. It begins by identifying the
Luk Yu-ping features of crowns worn by early Ming empresses in
comparison with those of previous dynasties. It will then
consider how elements of the empress’ crown defined her
position within the imperial family through the organisation
of sumptuary laws. It will argue that the common
appellation of empress’ crowns as fengguan 鳳冠 (phoenix
crown) and the assumption that phoenixes alone represented
empresses in the Ming dynasty need to be reconsidered.
Ming-dynasty emperors were polygamous, continuing a
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well-established institution in China’s history. Emperors
were expected to bear children with multiple women in
order to safeguard the imperial line. The 18th-century
official Ming shi 明史 (History of the Ming) records that the
founder of the dynasty, the Hongwu 洪武 emperor
(r. 1368–98), had 15 named consorts who bore him many
sons and daughters. Based on a Song-dynasty system, Ming
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consorts were graded according to ten ranks and divided
Plate 7.1 Anonymous, Official Portrait of Empress Xu, Wife of the
Yongle Emperor, Ming dynasty, Beijing. Album leaf, ink and colours
on silk, height 65.7cm, width 52.1cm. National Palace Museum,
Taipei

68 | Ming China: Courts and Contacts 1400–1450