Page 166 - important chinese art mar 22 2018

608

PROPERTY OF A NEW YORK PRIVATE COLLECTOR For further discussion of the history and use of mang robes
see Schuyler Cammann, China’s Dragon Robes, 1952, Chicago,
A RARE UNCUT BROCADE AND DAMASK pp. 10-19.
‘MANG’ ROBE
MING DYNASTY, WANLI PERIOD While a considerable number of imperial " ve-clawed Ming
dragon robes and yardage for such robes survives, there
the rectangular panel of uncut yardage, " nely brocaded in blue, are very few examples of surviving Ming dynasty mang
green, red and gilt-wrapped threads with a pair of four-clawed presentation robes or yardage. Moreover, the few surviving
mang dragons, each in bold pursuit of a ‘! aming pearl’ above examples of robes or yardage in Chinese museums that are
rolling and cresting waves centered by towering peaks and archeologically excavated pieces tend to be strongly faded and
amid stylized ! ame wisps and clouds, within a characteristic heavily damaged — unlike the present yardage with its vibrant
quatrefoil, ! anked by embroidered polychrome clouds and red color and outstanding condition. Because mang robes
above a narrow band of four striding dragons, all against a dark carried such great prestige, it is likely that most were buried
red silk damask ground of scrolling clouds, bordered on three with their owners and have not survived. For an archaeological
sides with narrow panels of 18th century blue-ground brocade example from the Zhengde period see Textiles and Embroidery:
with gilt dragons, mounted and framed Series of Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics, Beijing, 1999, pls
Height 64½ in., 163.2 cm; Length 74⅜ in., 188.9 cm 35 and 36. A Wanli attribution for the present yardage is
supported by comparison with the extensive corpus of robes
PROVENANCE and yardage found in the Dingling Mausoleum from the tomb
Acquired in New York, 1982. of the Wanli emperor, see Catalogue of Relics from the Dingling
Mausoleum, vols 1 and 2, Beijing, 2006.
Beginning in the Yuan dynasty and continuing throughout the
Ming dynasty, the emperors awarded special presentation The general format of the mang yardage and robes, with a
mang robes to select courtiers because of their particularly large quatrefoil collar area comprising two large dragons and
high rank, or as rewards for exceptional services rendered to a narrow band of dragons near the hem, was retained in the
the emperor, or as gifts to foreign dignitaries. Such robes were early Qing dynasty for the formal robe of state (chaofu), but
visible emblems of imperial favor; they were highly coveted. the tradition of imperial mang presentation robes had come to
For the Yuan prototypes see Zhao Fang, Treasures in Silk, an end. For examples of early Qing dynasty mang yardage for
Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 09.02.; for a Ming dynasty example, see a a chaofu see one in the Philadelphia Art Museum illustrated by
portrait of an o/ cial Wang Ao (1451- 1524), ibid, pl. 09.05. Schulyer Cammann (op. cit. pl. 4) and yardage including the
band in the Musée Guimet, Paris illustrated in Silk for Thrones
During the reign of the Yongle emperor (1403-1425) eunuchs
and Altars, Paris, 2003. " g. 8. A close stylistic comparison
who served as the emperor’s principal attendants were
between late Ming and early Qing dynasty mang panels is
required to wear mang robes. In the mid-15th century it was
instructive and illuminates the compositional clarity and robust
customary for the chief eunuch to wear a tso-mang or frontal
design elements that epitomize the compelling aesthetic of the
dragon in contrast to the more typical dragons in pro" le. A
late Ming dynasty.
particularly coveted type of mang design included the standard
dragon yoke collar, but also a narrow band across the knee $ 80,000-120,000
area with four smaller dragons. In the 16th century o/ cials
began placing private orders for mang robes without being ׼ຬ዇ ߎᇟᔌ੹ථږᎲ७சࣘ
formally awarded them by the emperor in direct contravention
Ը๕
of a 1459 law; " nally, the Jiajing emperor issued an edict in
1537 prescribing harsh penalties for those violating that law. ੻׵ॲߒd1982ϋ

164 SOTHEBY’S