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Lot 18
A red-ground gauze informal robe with punch needle embroidery, changfu Second half of 19th century
2 April 2025, 16:00 AEDT
SydneySold for AU$71,340 inc. premium
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A red-ground gauze informal robe with punch needle embroidery, changfu
Second half of 19th century
embroidered in eight medallions with hydrangeas and butterflies amongst scattered motifs of various summer flowers, all above a band of lishui waves to the hem, the gilt-edged collar and sleeves similarly decorated, on a black ground, 139.0cm high, 188.0cm wide
embroidered in eight medallions with hydrangeas and butterflies amongst scattered motifs of various summer flowers, all above a band of lishui waves to the hem, the gilt-edged collar and sleeves similarly decorated, on a black ground, 139.0cm high, 188.0cm wide
Footnotes
Provenance:
Linda Wrigglesworth, London, 1 Feb 1985 (Invoice)
十九世紀下半葉 銀紅戳紗八團綉球花單常服
傳承：
倫敦 Linda Wrigglesworth，1985年2月1日（賬單）
The design of this robe would have been derived from Imperial noblewoman's dragon robes with eight 'dragon' roundels placed in the same places as the 'hydrangeas' of the current lot. They come with similar horsehoof cuffs, the exaggerated ones are said to become fashionable during the regency of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
A robe like this is worn by Court ladies outside formal rituals, hence there are greater flexibility for its style and design. This explains the reason why there are numerous robes with similar designs of floral or bird roundels, accentuating the feminine beauty, and occasionally with the added scattered motifs such as the current lot. They are found to be of satin, in kesi, and in the case of the current lot, of summer gauze.
To compare with an Imperial noblewoman's dragon robe, see Gary Dickinson and Linda Wriglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, London:1990, p.197, pl.178. For robes with similar designs, see Verity Wilson, Chinese Dress, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London:1986, p.50-51, pl.32 and 33, Chris Hall, Power Dressing: Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection, Asian Civilisation Museum, Singapore:2006, p.158-159, pl.29, Christie's New York, 23 Mar 2018, lot 986; London, 7 Nov 2014, lot 540, 12 May 2017, lot 288; Paris, 14 Dec 2018, lot 603.
此件常服的設計來源於皇室貴婦所穿的龍褂，其八團龍的排列位置與此拍品上的「繡球花」圖案相同。這類袍服通常帶有馬蹄袖，其中誇張的袖口設計據說是慈禧太后攝政時期的流行趨勢。
此類常服多為宮廷女性在非正式儀式場合穿著，因此在樣式和設計上具有更大的靈活性。這也解釋了為何有許多帶有花鳥紋、節日主題的圓章的常服存在，這些設計突出了女性的柔美氣質，有時還會裝飾八團外的紋樣，如本拍品所見，使整件常服更顯吉慶熱鬧。這類袍服的材質多為綢緞、緙絲，而本拍品為夏季用的紗單朝服。
如需參考皇室貴婦的龍袍，請見Gary Dickinson 與 Linda Wriglesworth，Imperial Wardrobe，倫敦，1990年，第197頁，圖版178、Verity Wilson，Chinese Dress，倫敦維多利亞與阿爾伯特博物館，1986年，第50-51頁，圖版32與33，及Chris Hall, Power Dressing: Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection，新加坡亞洲文明博物館，2006年，第158-159頁，圖版29。此外，佳士得，紐約2018年3月23日，拍品編號986、倫敦，2014年11月7日，拍品編號540，2017年5月12日，拍品編號288，以及巴黎2018年12月14日，拍品編號603，亦為類似拍品。