Page 120 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art December 2014

Property from a California Collector

8251
An embroidered woman’s summer gauze robe
19th century
With a right-side closure design, worked in a pleasant color
combination on a rich purple ground with butterflies and flower sprigs,
lined with flower-decorated ivory laces and black bands with similar
butterfly-and-flower motif that repeat to the extended ivory-colored
section of each sleeve, the reticulated gilt metal ball buttons fitted with
silk brocade loops.
54 x 50in (137.2 x 127cm)
$4,000 - 6,000

8251

Property from Various Owners

8252
Two rare deep blue silk brocade dragon
robe fragments
17th century
Each square-sectioned fragment with a vertical seam line to the center
woven in gilt and shades of red, green, blue and white with a vigorous
four-clawed dragon in pursuit of a flaming jewel, surrounded by cloud
scrolls above terrestrial peaks and turbulent waves.
19 1/2 x 25in and 20 x 22in
(49.5 x 63.5cm and 50.8 x 55.8cm)
$3,000 - 5,000

The large-sized dragons with uprising manes and exaggerated
projecting snout are peculiar to the Ming dynasty. The present
fragments appear to be from the upper sections of the dragon robes
from the 17th century. Compare a dark blue ground brocade and
damask dragon robe, dated 17th century, illustrated in the exhibition
catalog Heavens’ Embroidered Cloths, One Thousand Years of
Chinese Textiles, the Urban Council of Hong Kong in association with
the Liaoning Provincial Museum, 1995, p. 209, no. 58.

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