About this artwork
This fabric may have been commissioned for the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908) late in her life. Symbols of Chinese imperial authority appear in the roundels in the center of the uncut cloth. These symbols, including the sun, moon, constellations, and rocks, appear on the coat’s shoulders, chest, and back, while the five-toed imperial dragon and standing waters are visible on the hem and cuffs.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Textiles
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Culture
- Manchu
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Artist
- Cixi (Commissioned by)
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Title
- Embroidered Fabric for an Empress's Gunfu (Court Surcoat), Yardage for an Empress's Gunfu (Court Surcoat) with the Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority (uncut and unmounted), Empress' Gunfu (Court Surcoat) (Uncut Yardage), Yardage for an Empress's Gunfu (Court Surcoat) with Four of the Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority (uncut and unmounted)
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Places
- China (Object made in), Asia (Object made in)
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Date
- Made 1898-1908
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Medium
- Silk, warp-float faced 7:1 satin weave; embroidered with silk and gilt- and silvered-metal-strip-wrapped silk in satin and stem stitches; laid work and couching
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Dimensions
- 303.5 × 199 cm (119 1/2 × 78 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Oriental Department Sundry Trust Fund
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Reference Number
- 1946.462
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
