Dragon Roundel from a Ceremonial Garment

early 18th century

Not on view

This piece is from a set of four roundels, decorated the chest, back, and shoulders of a prince’s formal ceremonial garment. Each roundel bears a dragon-in-clouds pattern on a navy blue ground, and seven of the eight auspicious Buddhist symbols appear in the clouds around the edges—the canopy, endless knot, fish, lotus, umbrella, vase, and wheel. (Only the conch is missing.) The roundels for the chest and the back feature a frontal dragon (zheng long), while those for the shoulders show a dragon in motion (xing long) with its head in profile.

The emperor’s formal ceremonial garment is decorated in the same way, except that all four dragons appear frontally.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

清袞服雲龍圓補
Title: Dragon Roundel from a Ceremonial Garment
Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: early 18th century
Culture: China
Medium: Silk and metallic thread embroidery on silk satin
Dimensions: Overall: 12 x 12in. (30.5 x 30.5cm)
Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
Credit Line: Gift of Edna Bahr, 1962
Object Number: 62.97.38
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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