Robe. Long tapering sleeves. Center front opening skirt; neckband and apron have tie closing on right side. Neckband is black silk satin. Upper body and sleeves are pieced from curving stripes of light blue and dark brown silk damask, and have deteriorated along shoulder creases. White, blue, and gold deteriorating couched lines on neckband on upper body. Sleeve edges are black silk satin with deteriorating gold brocade. Waist band is green silk satin with center front interlaced satin knot and two hanging tapes. Triangular tapestry aprons in front and back, each with fullface 4 clawed dragon, sacred jewel, sea, clouds in blues and greens on a red ground. Brocade and velvet borders, with one small blue glass ornament on front apron and 2 and a half on back (18 on each originally). Outer edge is white silk satin, painted in green, red, and purple with a dragon face and clouds, all padded with wool. Lower body is all tapestry. Two triangular areas under aprons have cloudlike, multicolored horizontal stripes. Rest of skirt has vertical curving stripes with alternating gold and red grounds. Multicolored leaf and vine pattern in stripes becomes swirls at lower scalloped edge. Black braid couched between each stripe. Pink silk satin lining, deteriorating at neck and front apron. Chinese writing on lining in three places. Deterioration of lower back tapestry edge shows an inner layer of coarse white plain weave wool. Lower skirt and aprons may be from a very old dragon robe, with upper body and padded painting added later. Tapestry areas are Ming designs. Finely woven tapestry, and a very unusual robe, Peking Opera costume, Imperial patronage; Kossu skirt is 17th century, remainder is 18th century (fide John Vollmer of the Royal Ontario Museum, June 1979).
Donor:
Arlene Miller Rolkin
Collection place:
China
Culture or time period:
Chinese
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Dragons and Robes (main garments)
Function:
5.3 Objects relating to the Secular and Quasi-religious Rites, Pageants, and Drama