Physical description
Woman's robe of tapestry woven silk (kesi) with silver and gold thread on red ground (now much faded), and lined with green silk; some of the details have been executed with the brush.
The robe is woven with a design of sprays of flowers and butterflies. The flowers include the tree peony, sprays of magnolia, peach and prunus, convolvulus, begonia, narcissus, guelder rose, orchids and chrysanthemums, lotus blossoms and branches of the sacred fungus. The borders are of brocade, woven with baskets of flowers on a dark blue ground. The interior of the sleeves is of white silk, brocaded with groups of small floral medallions in which are the Eight Buddhist Emblems (bajixiang), and the eight attributes of the Daoist immortals.
Place of Origin
China (made)
Date
before 1901 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown
Materials and Techniques
Silk tapestry (kesi), painted
Dimensions
Length: 140 cm, Width: 120 cm base, Width: 180 cm width to width
Object history note
Purchased. Registered File number 31783/1901.
Note on register:
A lady's long cloak of rich red silk brocaded in gold with sprays of flowers and butterflies, defined with light outlines in black and occasionally pencilled with a brush. The flowers include large branches of tree peony, sprays of magnolia, peach tree and prunus, convolvulus, begonia and narcissus, guelder rose, orchids and chrysanthemums, lotus blossoms and branches of the sacred polypous fungus. The border is encircled with a band composed of baskets of flowers woven on a dark ground, separated from the cloak by a narrow green ribbon which matches the colour of the lining. The interior of the sleeves is white silk brocaded with groups of small floral medallions in which are worked the eight felicitous symbols (pa chi-hsiang) of the Buddhists and the eight attributes (pa an hsien) of the group of daoist immortals; the same Buddhist symbols being also brocaded in the narrow floral band which encircles the border of the sleeves which are turned back when the cloak is worn.
Descriptive line
Woman's robe, silk tapestry (kesi) with painted details, China
Materials
Silk (textile)
Techniques
Painted; Tapestry
Subjects depicted
Taoism; Emblems (symbols); Flowers; Buddhism
Categories
Women's clothes; Textiles
Collection
East Asia Collection