id: 151451 accession number: 1983.32 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1983.32 updated: 2023-03-14 12:01:22.089000 Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu), late 1700s. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing period (1796-1820). Silk: satin weave; silk and metal thread: embroidery; width across shoulders: 226.1 cm (89 in.); length back of neck to hem: 154.9 cm (61 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1983.32 title: Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: late 1700s creation date earliest: 1775 creation date latest: 1799 current location: creditline: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund copyright: --- culture: China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing period (1796-1820) technique: Silk: satin weave; silk and metal thread: embroidery department: Textiles collection: Textiles type: Garment find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: width across shoulders: 226.1 cm (89 in.); length back of neck to hem: 154.9 cm (61 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Images of the Mind opening date: 1987-07-07T04:00:00 Images of the Mind. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 7-August 30, 1987). title: Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia opening date: 1990-07-24T04:00:00 Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 24-November 25, 1990). title: The Splendor of Chinese Silk – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c opening date: 2018-02-05T05:00:00 The Splendor of Chinese Silk – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 5-August 12, 2018). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE (Donald J. Wineman, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) date: ?–1983 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1983– footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: The lavishly embroidered motifs of dragons, clouds, waves, and rocks on this robe form a diagram that symbolizes the universe: the lower horizontal band of waves at the hem represents the oceans that surround the earth, while the prism-shaped rocks emerging from the waves at the sides, front, and back of the coat symbolize the earth. The cloud-filled firmament above the waves shows dragons—symbols of imperial authority. During the Qing dynasty, yellow indicated “imperial” and the color’s use in garments was reserved for the emperor and his consorts. The emperor would have worn this type of court robe at semi-official meetings at court but not when he performed the official state rituals. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Vollmer, John. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne: Chʻing Dynasty Costume (1644-1911) in the Royal Ontario Museum. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1977. page number: p.46, 54 url: Cleveland Museum of Art. Images of the Mind. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1987. page number: Reproduced: [p. 4] url: Wilson, J. Keith. "Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 77, no. 8 (1990): 286-323. page number: fig. 24, p. 306, cat. no. 34, p. 321 url: www.jstor.org/stable/25161297 Vollmer, John, Thierry Prat, and Richard Sheppard. Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles : from the Liao Through the Qing Dynasty. Paris: Myrna Myers, 2003. page number: no. 25 url: Hall, Chris. Power Dressing: Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection. Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2006. page number: no. 22, p. 142-145 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1983.32/1983.32_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1983.32/1983.32_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1983.32/1983.32_full.tif