A MAGNIFICENT AND EXTREMELY RARE KESI IMPERIAL SUIT OF PARADE ARMOUR QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE.

comprising a jacket, chaps, two arms and a further seven detachable panels, each piece of armour of similar basic form and decoration, made up of overlapping metal plates covered with luxury silks and held in place by gilt brass studs, the black silk slit tapestry kesi weave covering the exterior side of the metal plates finely embroidered with writhing five-clawed dragons finely woven in gilt thread, and bats, amid cloud scrolls, above mountains and crashing waves above a lishui band, those on the jacket and chaps issuing precious objects, with an olive green silk trim and turquoise lining

Collection of Alfred Forgeron (pre 1910).
Drouot, Paris, 26/27th February 1910, lot 362.
Collection of the painter Georges Papazoff (1894-1972), Paris.
Collection of Myriam Papazoff.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 10th April 2006, lot 1539.

John E. Vollmer, Ruling from the Dragon Throne: Costume of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Berkeley and Hong Kong, 2002, pp 87-88. 
John E. Vollmer, Silks for Thrones and Altars. Chinese Costumes and Textiles, Paris, 2004, pls 36-38.

The metal plates have oxidised, visible to uncovered plates in the interior of the shoulders, which have lead to some stains on the turquoise silk. There are minor holes and tears caused by rubbing from the metal plates. The exterior with areas of thread coming loose to areas bearing weight of armour, mainly at the shoulders, where that are several tears to the silk. The areas which have become loose have been sewn back. The gold thread of the dragons have become loose in several places. There is a 2cm tear to the flaming pearl on the centre of the jacket. To the chaps the silk has come loose, the areas are mainly concentrated to the mountains rising from the crashing waves and to the slit. One stud is missing from the chaps. The external metal plates to the shoulder are also oxidised. The shoulder panels also with areas of loose threads which have been restitched in areas. One stud is missing from the cuff. The arms with silk coming loose at the cuff and also along the folds, some of which have been restitched. The other panels with similar occasional losses and minor areas of restitching. One tasselled panel missing a beaded brass button. There has also been some oxidisation to the mirror. Generally the colours are vibrant and have retained its original lustre. The minor damage mentioned above is consistent with age. It is an impressive and striking piece.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The high quality of the present suit and the use of kesi to cover the metal plates strongly suggest an imperial association for this piece, in this case with the Qianlong Emperor. No comparable suit of armour appears to have been offered at auction so far.

Imperial armour suits made in the complicated kesi (cut silk) technique, are extremely rare, although a very similar kesi semi-formal robe can be found in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Costumes and Assessories of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 2005, pl. 40.

The Emperor was particularly proud to present himself as the successful military leader and appears in one of his most famous portraits, by the Italian court painter Giuseppe Castiglione, on horseback, wearing a glamorous yellow suit of armour; see the exhibition China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, The Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2006, cat.no.65. This portrait served to glorify Qianlong as the ultimate military commander and ruler. 

A Qianlong suit of ceremonial armour, very similar to the one depicted in the Castiglione painting, which appears to be embroidered only, is preserved in the Chateau de Fontainebleau, France, illustrated in Le Musee chinois de l'imperatrice Eugenie, Paris, 1994, pl. 7. A blue-ground suit of parade armour of the Kangxi reign preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, also with the designs embroidered rather than woven and illustrated in the China: The Three Emperor's catalogue, op.cit., no.62. An imperial parade armour suit completed in the early 1760s at the Hangzhou Imperial Textile factory and made of 600,000 tiny steel plates was included in the exhibition Splendours of China's Forbidden City, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, cat.no. 134.

Ceremonial suits of armour were an essential part of the imperial wardrobe. The Qianlong Emperor in particular was obsessed with his military successes and in his old age referred to himself as Shiquan Laoren, 'The Old Man of the Ten Completed Great Campaigns'. Qianlong's warfares were massive undertakings, including expeditions to Central Asia, Tibet, western Sichuan, Burma, Vietnam, Tibet and Taiwan, designed to establish, consolidate and expand Manchu rule. Apart from these military expeditions, Qianlong was a keen hunter, thereby upholding the marshal arts heritage and nomad origins of the Manchus. He  was a skilled archer and spent a month every year at the summer retreat at Chengde hunting. These hunts became glorified showcases where he was able to demonstrate his skill and bravery. Mark C. Elliott in 'Manchus and Tigers and Bears', Splendors of China's Forbidden City, Chicago, 2004, p. 110, notes that 'the hunt, after all, was a kind of military exercise and the elaborate drill of the battue helped prove that the conquering Manchus retained their edge even after long years of residence in China'.  

According to Valerie M. Garrett in Chinese Clothing: An Illustrated Guide, Oxford, 1994, p. 122, ceremonial suits of armour of this type were made in the Imperial Workshops in Hangzhou, the centre of silk manufacturing, and when not worn were stored at the Western Gate of the Forbidden City. John E. Vollmer in Silks for Thrones and Altars. Chinese Costumes and Textiles, Paris, p. 78, notes that this suit of armour 'can be related to the wuxing (five elements), in which the colours black or dark blue correspond to the element water and to north'. He further mentions that the five-clawed dragons reflect the imperial iconography, and each armour component is marked with a dragon amid clouds above mountains and waves, each forming a miniature cosmic pattern (p. 78).