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An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 1
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 2
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 3
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 4
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 5
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 6
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 7
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 8
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 9
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 10
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 11
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 12
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 13
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 14
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 15
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 16
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 17
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 18
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 19
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 20
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 21
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 22
An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols 19th century image 23
Lot 951

An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols
19th century

18 December 2017, 11:00 PST
San Francisco

Sold for US$60,000 inc. premium

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An imperial yellow satin dragon robe embroidered with five imperial symbols

19th century
Sewn together from uncut yardage, the yellow ground displaying nine imperial dragons in silver and gilt-wrapped threads amid cloud scrolls, shou medallions and various auspicious emblems worked in satin and knotted stitches above the tall lishui border; the five imperial symbols including the double-line symbol fu and the ax head on the upper front, the sun and the moon on opposing shoulders and the fifth a depiction of seven-star dipper constellation divided into three stars on the right and four stars on the upper back; the present collar using pieces of yellow satin from the uncut yardage with modern red cloth lining and braid trim.
60 1/4in (153cm) long

Footnotes

Provenance
The uncut yardage acquired by the art and fashion author Catharine Oglesby (1895-after 1980) sometime before 1960;
then, by descent, to a family member who constructed the present garment based on her own research

This robe shows only five of the twelve imperial symbols applied to imperial yellow dragon robes. Also unusual is the seven-star dipper constellation on the back of the garment that replaced the three-star constellation used on the front of a twelve-symbol dragon robe. A very similar and complete yellow robe, showing the five imperial symbols identical to this lot, was sold in Bonhams, San Francisco sale 21820, 16 December 2014, lot 8253.

Additional information

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