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Superbly embroidered on both the inner and outer surface with nine The Imperial Regulations confirmed the importance of a new type
lively five-clawed dragons riding the heavens, the present robe is a rare of robe, the jifu or longpao, as semi-formal Court wear and brought
and remarkable example of its type and would have most probably, the cosmic purpose of Imperial rule into sharp focus. The careful
been worn by a Third or Fourth Rank Prince. arrangement of sinuous dragons writhing amid clouds and above
the universal ocean washing against the earth mountain, quickly
Double-sided robes displaying such an impeccable and detailed transcended the political and ethnic priorities of Imperial government to
embroidery and meticulous attention to detail, noted in the animated become universal symbols of the Empire. Dragon robes thus became
expressions of the dragons and their overlapping scales, exquisitely supreme significant social markers representing access to power.
executed in various shades of blue to convey the impression of depth, The right to wear such garments was dependent on rank and status.
are obvious features of the most exquisite garments reserved for the The Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty were keen on projecting an
highest-ranking members of Qing society. Furthermore, the depictions evocative and powerful image of themselves, and their Court costumes
of dragons clutching, rather than chasing, flaming pearls, also suggest conveyed legitimacy and heritage. Despite their initial reluctance to
that the wearer would have been one of the most immediate family wear the same type of robes as their Ming predecessors, by the reign
members of the Emperor. of the Kangxi Emperor, the Manchu elites were keen wearers of richly-
ornamented ‘dragon’ robes on semi-formal Court occasions and
According to the ‘Illustrated Regulations for the Ritual Paraphernalia official duties.
of the Imperial Court’ Huangchao Liqi Tushi 皇朝禮器圖式, edited
in 1759, blue was the colour worn by the Third and Fourth Degree The Qing robes, however, had their own distinctive shapes and
Princes; see J.Vollmer, C.Hall and Lee Cheor Lin, Power Dressing. trimmings. For example, the slits appearing at the centre seams, at
Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection, Singapore, the front and back hem, as well at the sides, were Manchu innovations
2006, p.147. that made it comfortable for the garment to be worn during riding. In
addition, ‘dragon’ robes were secured at the waist with ceremonial
In Han Chinese thought, the five-clawed dragon pursuing or clutching belts suspending narrow and straight streamers, and sometimes,
the flaming pearl was the quintessential symbol of Imperial power, purses. Other conspicuously-displayed accessories further identified
embodying royalty, dominion and expressing the visual metaphor of Manchu dress, such as a hat, a surcoat and a necklace; see V.Garrett,
the good ruler who behaved wisely for the wellbeing of his subjects. Chinese Dress From the Qing Dynasty to the Present, 2008, North
Capable of flying high in the sky and diving back into the sea, dragons Clarendon VT, pp.16-17.
were regarded as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth and
credited with extraordinary powers that compared to those of the The impeccable quality and style of the embroidery closely compare
Emperor. Even the number nine, for the dragons depicted on the with an Imperial double-sided yellow-ground robe, Qianlong, also
present robe, is highly evocative and likened to the power of Heaven. decorated with similar blue dragons, from the Qing Court Collection
The multiple of three threes, nine has a long association with the in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Ming Wilson, Imperial
Emperor. In addition, the ‘Records of the Grand Historian’ Shiji, Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City, London, 2010, p.46-47,
completed during the first century BC, recounts that, having tamed the no.46. An Imperial blue-ground kesi silk robe, Qianlong, also from the
floods that once engulfed the land, the mythical emperor Yu divided Qing Court Collection, decorated with nine blue dragons, is illustrated
the territory into the Nine Provinces and collected bronze in tribute in The Complete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum.
from each one. Thereafter he cast the metal into nine large tripod Costumes and Accessories of the Qing Court, Shanghai, 2006, no.37.
cauldrons. These vessels thus were at the heart of ruler’s possessions
and symbolic conveyers of power. See also a related Imperial chestnut-ground robe for a Prince,
Jiaqing, with nearly-identical depictions of blue dragons, illustrated by
At the Qing Court the colour blue had a ritual significance, as it was J.Vollmer, Dressed to Rule. 18th century Court Attire in the Mactaggart
associated with the most important rites at the Altar of Heaven, where Art Collection, Edmonton, AB, 2007, p.10-11, no.2005.5.79. (another view)
the Emperor performed sacrifices at the Winter Solstice and prayed
for good harvest and rain during the summer months. It is possible,
therefore, that the present robe may have been worn on the occasion
of a ritual at the Temple of Heaven.

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