Page 272 - Bonhams May 12 16 London
P. 272
PROPERTY FROM THE MR. AND MRS. C. LEFEBVRE 265
COLLECTION OF CHINESE ROBES A BLUE-GROUND SILK EMBROIDERED
C. LEFEBVRE 伉儷藏中國袍服 ‘DRAGON’ ROBE, JIFU
LOTS 265 - 269 19th century
Finely worked in satin stitch and dense
This collection of Royal women’s dress from the Imperial Court of the couched gold threads with nine writhing four-
Qing dynasty was gathered from sources that spanned both Asia and clawed dragons amidst Auspicious Emblems
the West. and clusters of vaporous clouds, all above the
terrestrial diagram interspersed with ‘Peking
Women’s dress at the Qing court was elaborate, ethereal and elegant. knot’ peonies and lishui stripe at the hem, all
Wonderful garments were created through the ingenious adaptation picked out in shades of blue, grey, yellow and
of the newly-introduced vibrant dyes from the West to the delicate bright purple, with a black-ground border at
hues of the vegetable dyes already available in the East. The dazzling the collar and cuffs.
flowers and symbols decorating these costumes were imbued 139cm (54 6/8in) long
with auspicious symbolism that conveyed the cultural values and
aspirations of their wearer, such as longevity, success and fertility. £3,000 - 5,000
HK$33,000 - 55,000
Women became butterflies shimmering amongst the heavenly CNY28,000 - 46,000
gardens of the palaces, embodying cherry blossoms, prunus, peony
and chrysanthemum flowers that symbolised the Four Seasons. The 十九世紀 藍地緞繡暗八仙雲龍紋吉服袍
changyi or changfu informal dresses included in this collection were
worn on the occasion of festivities such as court rituals, seasonal This robe was probably worn by the Marquis
changes, birthdays and New Year celebrations. One such festivity of Zhu, the Imperial Clan descended from
includes the Double Ninth Festival, considered auspicious because of Ming dynasty royalty. A similar example is in
the homophonic nature of the number nine with the word ‘forever’. On the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, no.11.3883
this occasion, women wore chrysanthemum blooms in their hair and and another is illustrated by P.Haig, Threads of
on their garments as they attended a ceremony that paid homage to Gold, Atglen, 2006, pp.54-55.
their ancestors.
266
The Institute of Indulgences, Ruyi guan, 如意館, designed the courtly AN ORANGE-GROUND SILK WOMAN’S
garments through the creation of painted templates that conformed ‘BUTTERFLY’ ROBE, CHANGYI
to the court regulations, Huangchao liqi tushi, 皇朝禮器圖示, or the 19th century
fashion style of the moment as it was selected by the Empress. The Delicately embroidered in satin stitch and
templates were then sent to the imperial workshops of Suzhou for ‘Peking knot’ with a profusion of butterflies
the production of the finest satin stitch or to Nanjing for the weaving. flitting around bunches of melons growing
The workshops worked long hours and often men were the most out of leafy vines and tendrils, all meticulously
accomplished embroiderers. Time and precision, elaborate designs, executed in three-blue silk threads on a rich
silk threads of exquisite quality and dyes of spectacular colours, orange brick ground within cream and black
showed the power and beauty of the ‘butterfly’ courtesans of the Qing borders decorated with further butterflies
court. picked out in mauve, turquoise and green.
128cm (50 3/8in) long
Women’s dress provides a rare insight into the romance and secret
court life of the royal ladies, ‘a rare chance to peep behind the silk £3,000 - 5,000
curtain of the court’ and own an important aspect of Chinese history. HK$33,000 - 55,000
CNY28,000 - 46,000
270 | BONHAMS
十九世紀 杏黃地緞繡百蝶紋常服
Emblematic of summer, beauty, romance and
dreams, butterflies are a homophone with
the word ‘repeatedly’, thus underscoring the
wish for many descendants if combined with
seed-bearing gourds, such as in the present
example. A related orange-ground robe,
embroidered with flowers and butterflies in the
multiple shades of blue, is in the collection of
the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, no.1971.90.
