Collection record · Dress & textiles
Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu)
The collection record classifies this work as garment. It is dated late 1700s. Recorded culture or place: China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1820).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu)
- Date
- late 1700s
- Culture / origin
- China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1820)
- Materials and technique
- Silk: satin weave; silk and metal thread: embroidery
- Dimensions
- width across shoulders: 226.1 cm (89 in.); length back of neck to hem: 154.9 cm (61 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1983.32
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
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.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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