AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE BLUE-GROUND EMBROIDERED EMPRESS 'DRAGON' VEST, CHAO GUA QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG/QIANLONG PERIOD

the sleeveless vest finely worked with two pairs of ascending profile dragons, with one pair on the front and another on the reverse, embroided with intricate couched gold threads, amongst colourful ruyi clouds, rising from a short lishui and wave motif, all reserved on a rich dark blue silk-ground, with blue woven hems with scroll motifs in metallic thread

The overall condition is quite good. The hems have been replaced and there are loose threads. On the back, the left dragon is missing a pupil in the eye. The colors remain strong with little fading on both sides. There are two buttons missing, one from the collar and the one immediately below.
"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."

No other chaogua of this quality is known outside of the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. Rare survival of this chaogua style that features powerful and lively pair of long, five-clawed dragons suggests that the current chaogua was made for a high-ranking imperial women, possibly the empress.  A closely related chaopao of this design dated to the Yongzheng period is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and illustrated in the catalogue entitled China: The Three Emperors, London, 2005, p. 74, cat. no. 7.

Chinese court dress had long been regulated by sumptuary laws since the ancient Zhou dynasty (1050-221 B.C.).  Each succeeding imperial dynasty issued its own set of regulations and rules regarding colours and designs of official costume. Particularly in the Ming and Qing dynasties, extraordinarily sumptuous, hierarchical and technically accomplished system of dress was developed.  In 1759 court and official dress became standardised following the publication of Huangchao liqi tushi (Illustrated Precedents for the Ritual Paraphernalia of the Imperial Court) commissioned by the Qianlong emperor. The book provided a comprehensive, illustrated inventory of all court ritual items.  In the section of imperial wardrobe, it demonstrates a synthesis of Manchu and Han ethnic styles of clothing and decoration.  Strict codes of official dress were illustrated and categorised according to the color, symbolism and related accessories thus making clear distinctions among nobility and title, official rank and social status.

As an ensemble part of the highest category imperial women's formal court attire, Chaogua (court vest) is a full-length sleeveless vest opened and fastened down the centre.  It has deep armholes to accommodate the flaring shoulder sections of the formal chaopao (court robe) underneath.  Together with a wide collar, headdress, headband, torque, earrings and three ceremonial strings of beads, and long silk kerchief, chaopao (court robe) and chaogua (court vest) made up the full ceremonial outfit chaofu for high ranking imperial ladies of the Qing dynasty.  A portrait in the Palace Museum, Beijing of the Empress Dowager Xiaosheng, dressed in full regalia, including a chaogua similar to the present lot, illustrated in China. The Three Emperors, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, pl. 10 (fig. 1).  Three different styles of court vests were assigned according to the court dress edicts.  All three styles of chaogua were made of dark navy blue silk with a central front opening to hold toggles and loop fastenings, angled shoulder seams and deeply cutout armholes are as follows,

1)      Style one: full-length vest made of three sections - an upper part, a section from waist to knee and a section from knee to hem with five horizontal bands embroidered with four or five clawed dragons and auspicious symbol, depending on rank.

2)      Style two: hip-length, sleeveless bodice attached to a pleated skirt.  A strip of dragons decorated above the seam between the bodice and the skirt section.  The lower part of the pleated skirt was decorated with a band of dragons. 

3)      Style three: undivided full-length vest decorated with a pair of ascending dragon presented in profile and wave motif and li shui.

The current chaogua belongs to the third category.  The number and disposition of the dragons indicate rank of the imperial women.  For the empress dowager, empress and huang gui fei (three highest ranking imperial consorts), the vest featured a pair of large profile of long, five-clawed dragons amid clouds above waves, on the front and the back of the vest. For lower-ranking women of the imperial family the decoration decreased the size and increased the number of profile dragons to four on the front and two on the back, with a frontal dragon above.  As for the wives of nobles not related to the imperial family and the wives of other high officials, the edicts specified that only the decoration of mang, or four-clawed dragons was allowed on the vest. 

Later chaogua dated to the mid to late Qing dynasty are illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 51 - Costumes and Accessories of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 2005, pp. 103-107, nos.65-68. However, in the introduction on p. 28, the author mentioned that it is not uncommon for later period to use fabric and design produced in the previous reign.  Although the yellow silk tags marked the date and time when the imperial vests were viewed by the empresses, careful study of the material and design showed that they should be dated to early Qing dynasty.