Page 92 - Bonhams FINE CHINESE ART London November 2 2021

Finely tailored from sumptuous Imperial chestnut-ground brocaded sleeved, full-length coat, chaopao, which would have been worn
silks, the present garment is a brilliant and elegant adaptation of 17th under a full-length sleeveless coat, gualan. Surviving material evidence
century Chinese Imperial Court costume to formal Tibetan ceremonial suggests that probably by the time of the Qing conquests, the two
attire. garments had merged into a single coat though the full length court
vests still appeared; see J.Vollmer, Ruling from the Dragon Throne.
The front and back of the garments would have made up the main Costumes of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Berkeley, CA, 2002, p.69.
body of an extremely rare Imperial woman’s formal state robe,
chaopao dating to the Kangxi period. This is visible by the L-shaped Chaopao robes dating to the Kangxi period and preserved in public
seam between the collar and the underarm, noted on the present collections are exceptionally rare, however, a velvet textile for a dragon
lot. The same L-shaped seam between the collar and the underarm robe, 17th century, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,
is one of the main features of chaopao garments, long dragon robes depicts a very similar large four-clawed dragon clutching the flaming
made of a single section from shoulder to hem, with separate sleeves pearl, to the dragons brilliantly woven on the present robe, acc.
which were inserted into the main body at the shoulders; the resultant no.1987.147, illustrated in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Friends of
seams were then covered with metallic brocade ribbon, which was Asian Art Gifts, 1985–2007. New York, 2008, p.36. See also a yellow-
used as neck, side and hem trim. A separate piling collar was an ground robe, Shunzi, embroidered with a single large side dragon
additional garment that rested on the shoulders. Epaluettes were once clutching the flaming pearl, illustrated in The Complete Collection
applied and then removed to obtain a simpler Tibetan-style closure. of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Textiles and Embroideries of
This tailoring combined the styles of the two layered garments worn the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2005, p.181, no.202. A
by the Imperial female members of the Ming dynasty, namely a a long Qing dynasty winter chaopao lined with brown fur and incorporating