Man's Audience Robe (Chaofu)

second half of the 19th century

Not on view

A chaofu, or audience robe, featuring a fully pleated skirt was the most formal type of men's court dress. Sumptuary regulations set in the mid-eighteenth century dictated that only the emperor and heir apparent could wear robes emblazoned with five-clawed dragons, but in the nineteenth century, these mandates were often overlooked. Blue-black audience robes were worn by Qing nobles, high-ranking civil and military officials, and imperial guards.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Man's Audience Robe (Chaofu)
Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: second half of the 19th century
Culture: China
Medium: Silk satin embroidered with silk and metallic thread
Dimensions: 84 x 58 in. (213.4 x 147.3 cm)
Classification: Costumes-Embroidered
Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1935
Object Number: 35.84.3
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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