Page 24 - Chinese Art October 2017 San Francisco

5048 (Front) 5048 (Back)

5048
A MANCHU WOMAN’S LAVENDER AND TEAL BLUE KESI-
WOVEN VEST
Late Qing dynasty
Constructed with a center front closing, the lavender silk ground
woven with flowering prunus branches in black, silver and gilt-wrapped
threads that repeat in the teal blue fabric used for the collar, borders
and ruyi scepter heads at the front, side pleats and back; the teal blue
areas in turn bordered by bands of black and silver brocade woven
in a bold wanzi pattern and overlaid with yellow and black brocade
ribbon woven in a more delicate wanzi pattern.
27 1/2in (70cm) long
33in (84cm) maximum width

US$4,000 - 6,000

Provenance
purchased in December, 2008, from the personal collection of John L.
Boehme

For a similar kesi-woven vest with crane and cloud decoration,
see Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Wenwu Zhenpin Quanji 51: Qingdai
Gongting Fushi (The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
Museum 51: Costume and Accessories of Emperors and Empresses
of the Qing Dynasty) (Hong Kong, 2005), p. 213, no. 134. The vest
would have been worn over a Manchu woman’s informal robe: see
Valery Garrett, Chinese Dress from the Qing Dynasty to the Present
(New York, 1998), p. 53, Fig. 86 (woman wearing side-closing vest)
and Fig. 87 (an embroidered center-closing vest similar to this lot).

5049
A BROWN SILK BROCADE DRAGON ROBE
Late Qing dynasty
The nine dragons and tall lishui border woven with fine gilt-wrapped
threads, the remaining clouds and auspicious emblems worked in pale
colors, the black ground collar bands and cuffs woven en suite (fading,
staining).
53 1/2in (136cm) long

5049 US$2,500 - 4,000

22 | BONHAMS