Page 95 - Christies Fine Chinese Works of Art March 2016 New York

A very similar chaogua is illustrated in G. Dickinson and L.
Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, Berkeley and Toronto, rev. ed.,
2000, p. 181, pl. 163. Compare, also, two chaogua of this type in the
collection of the University of Oregon Museum of Art, illustrated by
J. Vollmer, Decoding Dragons: Status Garments in Ch’ing Dynasty
China, University of Oregon, 1983, pls. 18 and 93.

清十九世紀 石青地繡龍紋朝褂

Chaofu, or ritual wear, was the most formal category of clothing 1381 (two views)
at the Qing dynasty court. For imperial women a chaofu ensemble
included a petticoat, a full-length robe with long sleeves, front overlap
and shoulder projections (chaopao), an over vest (chaogua), a cape-
like collar (piling) and an appropriate hat and accessories.

The Qing dynasty chaogua was adapted from the dragon-patterned
sleeveless coats worn unoficially at the Ming dynasty court. The
mid-eighteenth century court dress edicts assigned three styles of
this garment to the upper ranking court women. All were made of
dark navy blue silk and featured a center front opening held with
fve toggle and loop fastenings, angled shoulder seams and deeply
cut armholes. The frst and second styles were tailored as multi-
sectioned constructions with horizontal bands of dragons, clouds
and waves. The third style was full length without sections. For
the empress dowager, empress and three highest ranking imperial
consorts the decoration of this style of vest featured a pair of large
profle long, or fve-clawed dragons amid clouds above waves, on
the front and back of the garment. For lower-ranking women of the
imperial clan, the decoration decreased the size and increased the
number of profle dragons to four on the front and two on the back,
with a frontal dragon above. A third style, which could be worn by
all ranks of women including the wives of nobles not related to the
imperial clan and the wives of other high oficials featured mang, or
four-clawed dragons.

93