A MANCHU MILITARY OFFICER'S CEREMONIAL ARMOR QING DYANSTY, LATE 19TH CENTURY

comprising a padded silk waist-length jacket, two-panel wraparound skirt, and shoulder plates, the silk of deep aubergine color with brass studs allover and gold-wrapped thread embroidered roundels containing four-clawed dragons at the centers of the chest, back, skirt panels, and shoulder plates, the shoulder plates trimmed with gilt-metal panels incised with further dragons, trimmed in dark brown silk, lined in sky-blue silk (4)

Collection of Theoni V. Aldredge (1922-2011), Stamford, Connecticut, acquired in the 1970s.

The shoulders of the jacket threadbare revealing the layers of inner padding; additional wear in other areas of the aubergine silk. The brown silk trim mostly worn away. The gold-wrapped thread embroidery detached in several places. Blue silk lining discolored to tan in some areas, and other areas torn. Waistband of skirt replaced with cobalt-blue cotton cloth. Missing the gilt metal plates that would have been affixed to the roundels at the front and back of the jacket. Missing the studded-silk attachments at armpits and at front and back of abdomen.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A complete set of armor of this type and period in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art is published in Robert D. Jacobsen, Imperial Silks: Ch'ing Dynasty Textiles in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, vol. 1, Minneapolis, 2000, pl. 136.