An imperial yellow-ground satin embroidered 'dragon' robe, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng period | 清雍正 明黃緞繡彩雲金龍袍料

Geng Zhi Tang Collection.

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This robe is a superlative example of an early Qing dynasty imperial court attire. The bright yellow ground, which was exclusive to only the high-ranking members of the imperial family, the Emperor, Empress and Dowager Empress, coupled with the presence of nine dragons embroidered in gold thread immediately announces the importance and grandeur of its intended owner.

Identified as a jifu, this semi-formal dress was typically worn at official occasions, except for state rituals, where the more formal chaofu with pleated skirt was employed. The 'shou' characters woven on top of the central dragons of front and back side, convey the wishes of longevity: a similar design is found on a chaofu in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhang Qiong, ed., Qingdai gongting fushi / Costumes and Accessories of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 2005, pl. 11.

The compositional arrangement of nine dragons was retained throughout the Qing dynasty, but the style of the clouds and the absence of the Twelve Symbols on this robe suggest a date prior to the Qianlong period, when these motifs were introduced on Qing dragon robes. The present robe is incomplete, lacking sleeves, borders and lining.

The commissioning of imperial textiles within the Qing court involved a highly complex procedure and rigorous quality control. Prior to placing an order, a colored draft would be meticulously painted, and then reviewed by the Emperor. Once the design was approved, a commission order would be dispatched to Jiangnan Zhizao, one of the three imperial textile factories located in Southern China. After production, the textiles would be examined by officials in the Forbidden City, with only qualified products being retained within the imperial palaces. It is recorded that the Yongzheng Emperor fined and punished relevant officials after finding color fading on his costumes, see Yan Yong et.al., eds, Qinggong fushi tudian [Illustrated dictionary of Qing dynasty court costumes], Beijing, 2010, pp 6-8.

Most early jifu robes remain in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and only very few examples are in private hands. Compare a closely related Yongzheng example with an identical design of dragon with both arms facing downwards, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Yidai zhao du. Gugong Bowuyuan cang qingdai dihou fushi / Stately Demeanour. Costumes of Qing Emperors and Empress from the Collection of the Palace Museum, Macau, 2020, cat. no. 22, pp 68-69. Compare a related example, illustrated in Yan Yong and Fang Hongjun, eds, Tianchao yiguan / The Splendors of Imperial Costume. Qing Court Attire from the Beijing Palace Museum, Beijing, 2008, pl. 29 (accession. no. 故45188); an empress' jifu from the Palace Museum, Beijing, but of the Qianlong period, illustrated in Zhang Qiong, op.cit., pl. 92.

此袍乃清初宮廷服飾典範，盡顯天家威儀，明黃緞上以金線繡九龍，如此制式，非皇帝、太后或皇后不可用。

此件屬吉服，穿用於正式場合；更高規格則為朝服，上衣下裳，腰間有襞積，朝會典儀方用。正面及背面正中金龍頂上均繡「壽」字，寓意長壽。相類紋飾可見一朝服，藏北京故宮博物院，錄張瓊編，《清代宮廷服飾》 ，香港，2005年，圖版11。

九龍構圖於大清歷朝屢見不鮮，然十二章紋自乾隆一朝始用作龍袍紋飾；此件未見十二章紋，且觀其雲紋風格，可斷代至乾隆之前。此袍缺袖，邊線不全。

清宮御用織品工序繁複，督造嚴格，需先細繪彩圖，經皇帝寓目，方可傳令織造。圖稿獲准後，旨令下達江南三織造，由織造衙門完成，成品交由紫禁城官員檢驗，惟合格織物才留宮中。據記載，雍正皇帝曾發現服袍褪色，相關官員因此受罰（嚴勇等編，《清宮服飾圖典》，北京，2010年，頁6-8）。

早期吉服大多藏於北京故宮博物院，市場罕有得見。可比一雍正類例，紋飾如出一轍，飛龍雙臂朝下，藏北京故宮博物院，載《一代昭度——故宮博物院藏清代帝后服飾》，澳門，2020年，編號22，頁68-69；及一近例，載嚴勇、房宏俊編，《天朝衣冠》，北京，2008年，圖版29（編號故45188）；另有一皇后吉服，斷代乾隆，藏北京故宮博物院，錄張瓊前述出處，圖版92。