Page 104 - Sotheby's Fine Chinese Art NYC September 2023

A rare and unusual example of a 17th century dragon
此十七世紀蟒袍，稀見無多。此袍以妝花緞製，
garment, the present robe is decorated with four-clawed 以不連續緯綫織成彩色圖案，效果仿如在緞面刻
dragons, known as mang. This robe is made of ‘decorated’ 花，又採金線或包金線，更見絢爛。妝花緞織造不
satin, known as zhuanghua duan. By using discontinuous 易，耗工費時；經現代實驗測試，製一件尺寸及物
wefts, colorful patterns are ‘incised’ into the satin. In
addition, flat gold or gold-wrapped thread is used to make 料與大明萬曆帝（1573-1620年在位）定陵所出織
the satin more attractive. The production of such duan 品相近之袍服，需多位巧匠合力約 270 日方可成衣
required massive labor. According to a modern experiment, （高漢玉，〈 Technical and Artistic Development of
weaving a robe based on the dimensions and design of a Chinese Patterned Silk〉，載於《錦繡羅衣巧天工》 ，
similar fabric discovered in the Dingling tomb of the Ming 香港，1995年，頁45）。
Wanli Emperor required experienced weavers approximately
270 working days to complete, see Gao Hanyu, ‘Technical 十七世紀龍紋袍服存世例甚少，或因袍服深受物主珍
and Artistic Development of Chinese Patterned Silk’, in Jinxiu 重，多已隨葬。少量袍服得以傳世，乃因送入西藏
luoyi qiao Tiangong / Heavens’ Embroidered Cloths. One 作贈禮，於當地經重新剪裁，改為窄袖楚巴式樣，
Thousand Years of Chinese Textiles, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 45. 恰如此件。
Only a limited number of 17th century dragon robes are 比一未經剪裁之石青地蟒袍料，斷代明末，藏中
found today, likely because they were highly treasured by 國絲綢博物館，杭州，載趙峰，《織繡珍品》，
the owners and therefore buried with them. Many that have 香港，1999年，圖版09.05；另一明末例，載Valery
survived were brought to Tibet as gifts and re-cut into the
narrower-sleeved Tibetan chuba style, such as the present M. Garrett，《Chinese Clothing: An Illustrated Guide》，
lot. 牛津，1994 年，圖 3.6，頁 37。
Compare an uncut dark-blue robe material with mang
design, attributed to late Ming period, in the China National
Silk Museum, Hangzhou, illustrated in Zhao Feng, Zhixiu
zhenpin / Treasures in Silk, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 09.05;
another early Qing example, illustrated in Valery M. Garrett,
Chinese Clothing. An Illustrated Guide, Oxford, 1994,
fig. 3.6, p. 37.
AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION OF CHINESE TEXTILES 205