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Plate 7.9 Anonymous, Official
Portrait of Empress Zhang,
Wife of the Hongxi Emperor,
Ming dynasty, Beijing. Album
leaf, ink and colours on silk,
height 65.5cm, width 51.5cm.
National Palace Museum,
Taipei

described as a ‘dragon crown’. This ‘dragon crown’ is The observation that the dragon was a principal emblem
repeated in the subsequent portrait of Empress Sun 孫 of the early Ming empress has broader implications that are
(d. 1462) (Pl. 7.10), the wife of the Xuande 宣德 emperor worth considering. In the Statutes, sumptuary laws that
(r. 1426–35), and to a lesser extent in the portrait of Empress dictate imperial and royal dress refer to ceremonial objects
Qian 錢 (d. 1468) (Pl. 7.11), wife of the Zhengtong 正統 made of different materials, not only textiles and jewellery.
emperor (r. 1436–49), the last emperor of the period in Empresses’ objects that were made of other materials and
question. There is indication that this design was not purely also decorated with dragon motifs include a jade belt, a jade
pictorial, but may be based on actual practice. The Statutes hanging pendant, a wooden stand for her seal and a wooden
record that a woman chosen to be empress first received her container for her gilded conferring document. Given its
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set of routine ceremonial costume together with her wider application, perhaps the empress’ association with the
conferring document and other gifts while she was at her dragon or dragon-and-phoenix motifs could be extended
natal home in a process known as naji 納吉 (presenting the beyond costume to imperial furnishing more broadly, such
auspicious). Notably, the crown she receives is named in the as lacquer wares, porcelain and other items that decorated
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text as Jinlong zhucui yanju guan 金龍珠翠燕居冠 (‘Swallow the spaces inhabited by imperial women. For example,
residence’ crown with gold dragon, pearls and kingfisher consider the impressive carved red lacquer table in the
feathers; ‘swallow residence’ refers here to a more informal Victoria and Albert Museum collection dated to the Xuande
crown). This suggests that it was the dragon which was period that was most likely produced in the imperial lacquer
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recognised as the identifying motif of the crown for an workshop known as the ‘Orchard Factory’ (Guoyuanchang
empress’ routine court dress. 果園廠) (Pl. 7.12). The drawer fronts and top of the table

The Empress’ Dragon Crown: Establishing Symbols of Imperial Authority in the Early Ming | 73