THE SIMON CHANG COLLECTION – A rare Imperial Chinese woman’s court robe or garment worn by the highest ranking female members of the Qing dynasty, the robe finely and intricately woven in satin stitch in shades of blues, greens, reds and pale violet with metallic gold and silver threading on the front, back and inside front panels, showing nine five-clawed Imperial dragons pursuing flaming pearls interspersed with clusters of lingzhi-shaped clouds with bats, auspicious or precious objects and shou and wan characters, and showing the Twelve Symbols of Imperial authority, all set on a bright Imperial yellow ground above the terrestrial diagram and waves showing pairs of the eight Buddhist emblems amidst the waves, with ruyi-shaped clouds and a lishui stripe done in a kesi weave at the hem and the start of the sleeves, with dark blue-ground collar, sleeve bands and matixiu (horse hoof) shaped cuffs decorated with further complimentary dragons, clouds and symbols done in similar colored and gold threading, 19th century. See similar robes sold at Christie’s London, 15 May 2009, lot 317 and Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2011, lot 3143, Bonham’s London, 05 November 2020, lot 115, and Zacke Vienna 01 March 2024, lot 351.

Literature – Secret Splendors of the Chinese Court: Qing Dynasty Costume from the Charlotte Hill Grant Collection, Denver 1982, pgs 60 – 61, Chinese Dress by Verity Wilson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1986, pgs 40 – 41, and In The Presence Of The Dragon Throne Ch’ing Dynasty Costume in the Royal Ontario Museum by John E. Vollmer, Toronto 1977, pg 54