Page 79 - Ming_China_Courts_and_Contacts_1400_1450 Craig lunas

Plate 7.2 The crown of Empress Wang
(1564–1620), wife of the Wanli emperor.
Gold, pearls, kingfisher feathers and
coral, height 35.5cm, width 20cm.
Dingling Museum, Beijing

into four categories. These were empress (huanghou 皇后), initially established by the Ming founder, which were then
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secondary consorts (huangguifei 皇貴妃; guifei 貴妃; fei 妃), elaborated upon by the Yongle 永樂 emperor (r. 1403–24)
third-class consorts (pin 嬪) and minor consorts. Although and modified in the 16th century under the Jiajing 嘉靖
emperors could have multiple consorts, there could only be emperor (r. 1522–66). Sections of this book are illustrated;
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one principal wife who held the status of empress. The for example, the chapter relating to the costumes of imperial
hierarchy for consorts was expressed in many ways, such as women contains woodblock-printed images of an empress’
in the material goods and ritual deference to which these crown (Pl. 7.3), ceremonial robe (Pl. 7.4), belt and possibly
women were entitled. In turn, these distinctions further a tablet. Another important source of information is the
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separated them from princesses, wives of officials, women portraits of empresses in the National Palace Museum
who served at the imperial courts and ordinary women collection, Taipei, noted earlier. These survive as a set of
outside of the court milieu. Sumptuary laws made clear the half-length portraits in album form, mounted together with
intended exclusiveness of certain insignia and precious the portraits of Ming emperors, forming an official imperial
materials according to rank. Crowns are a good example of genealogy. Judging from descriptions in the Statutes, these
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this. portraits depict the imperial couple in changfu 常服 (routine
So far, four crowns belonging to Ming empresses have court dress) rather than the most formal first-grade
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been discovered by archaeologists (Pl. 7.2). They were all ceremonial attire, lifu 禮服. While we cannot confirm
found in the Dingling 定陵 (Ding Mausoleum), the only whether these sources are indicative of actual practice, they
excavated Ming imperial tomb, and the burial site of the can be interpreted as models of how emperors and empresses
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Wanli 萬曆 emperor (r. 1573–1620) and two of his consorts. were expected to look and dress. In some instances, image
The excavation report was not specific regarding the and text correspond closely to each other. In her portrait,
condition of the crowns, except that some of the pieces were Empress Xu 徐 (1362–1407), principal consort of the Yongle
scattered. Images of the crowns in their reconstructed state emperor, is shown wearing a high crown made with a black
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were published. These can give a general impression of fabric base, decorated with a gold frontal dragon and
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empress’ crowns, but they cannot serve as substitutes for flanked by a pair of gold phoenixes facing away from each
early Ming examples, since not only were they other (see Pl. 7.1). These are surrounded by floral and
reconstructed, but the design of crowns most likely changed foliage ornaments made of precious materials. Long strings
over time. Instead, we have to rely on textual and pictorial of pearls with flower-shaped ornaments known as zhujie 珠結
sources for more specific information. The Da Ming huidian (pearl knot) hang from the mouths of the phoenixes. There
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大明會典 (Collected Statutes of the Great Ming), first compiled in are two additional phoenixes facing each other near the
the Hongwu reign and published in 1503 and 1587, records in front of the crown and the curved panels at the rear are also
detail the ceremonial dress code for empresses and other ornately decorated with the divine bird. The sections of the
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members of the imperial household. It includes the codes empress’ robe and shawl that are visible in the portrait are

The Empress’ Dragon Crown: Establishing Symbols of Imperial Authority in the Early Ming | 69