A yellow silk embroidered 'dragon' banner, Qing dynasty, 19th century | 清十九世紀 黄地刺綉龍紋旗

Along with canopies and standards, colorful silk banners formed part of imperial regalia in the large audiences, ceremonies, and parades that took place at the Qing court. Triangular banners with serrated edges can be seen in paintings dating back to the Tang dynasty, and persisted throughout the history of imperial China. For Qing court paintings depicting banners similar to the present, compare three illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum. Paintings by Court Artists of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1996, pls 34, 58, and 68. A yellow-ground Xianfeng period example embroidered with a blue dragon sold in our London rooms, 17th May 2019, lot 430. 

For slightly earlier 18th century 'dragon' military banners, see a green-ground example illustrated in John E. Vollmer, Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles, Paris, 2004, pl. 35; a white-ground pair published in Robert D. Jacobsen, Imperial Silks: Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles in The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, vol. II, Minneapolis, 2000, pls 492 and 493, and a red-ground banner included in John E. Vollmer and Jacqueline Simcox, Emblems of Empire: Selections from the Mactaggart Art Collection, Edmonton, 2009, p. 160.