SUMMER CHAOFU FOR A TOP-RANK PRINCE
In China, dragons symbolize success. They live in water and clouds and bring rain. They also became a symbol of the emperor and imperial family. In late imperial China, during the nineteenth century, dragons with five claws signified the emperor and the highest people around him, and those with four claws signified lower royalty.
This garment is a chaofu, which was a formal court robe worn during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) by ranking individuals when they visited the court. This is a summer robe. Its decoration of large dragons with five claws symbolizing the highest members of the imperial family and eighteen dragon roundels indicates this robe would have been worn by a first-rank prince.
Object Number
F2015.7
Date
ca. 1820–75, Qing dynasty
Place of Origin
China
Medium
Silk gauze with embroidery in silk and metallic-wrapped threads
Dimensions
H × W: 141 × 170.2 cm
(55 1/2 × 67 in.)
Credit line
Gift of Shirley Z. Johnson