Two Americans in Paris, The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers

Two Americans in Paris, The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 328. A suit of ceremonial armour Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 御製石青緞繡團龍紋儀仗釘甲一副.

A suit of ceremonial armour Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 御製石青緞繡團龍紋儀仗釘甲一副

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Auction Closed

November 4, 11:45 AM GMT

Estimate

100,000 - 150,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

A suit of ceremonial armour

Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

清乾隆 御製石青緞繡團龍紋儀仗釘甲一副


comprising a brass-studded navy jacket and apron with associated detachable panels and gilt metal mounts, the armour made of cotton-padded satin lined with blue silk, embroidered with dragon roundels in gold thread

Acquired in 1997.

購自1997年

John E.Vollmer, Silk for Thrones and Altars, Chinese Costumes and Textiles from the Liao through the Qing dynasty, Myrna Myers, 2003, Paris, no. 37.

Jean-Paul Desroches, Two Americans in Paris, A Quest for Asian Art, 2016, Paris, no. 359.

John E.Vollmer編《 Silk for Thrones and Altars, Chinese Costumes and Textiles from the Liao through the Qing dynasty》, 2003年, 巴黎, 圖版37

Jean-Paul Desroches編《Two Americans in Paris, A Quest for Asian Art》, 2016年, 巴黎, 圖版359

From the Land of Asia, Pointe-à-Callière Museum, Montréal, 17th November 2016 - 19th March 2017.

From the Land of Asia, Kimbell Art Museum, Texas, 4th March – 19th August 2018.

 《From the Land of Asia》，Pointe-à-Callière 博物館，蒙特利爾，2016年11月17 - 2017年3月19日

《From the Land of Asia》，Kimbell美術館，德克薩斯，2018年3月4 - 8月19日

Ceremonial suits of armour such as the present piece were an essential part of the imperial wardrobe during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Throughout the year, a wide range of ceremonies were held in the Imperial Palace and hundreds of people were called to assemble in the great courtyards to take part in official rituals. According to Valery M. Garrett, Chinese Clothing: An Illustrated Guide, Oxford, 1994, p. 122, armour of this type was made in the imperial workshops in Hangzhou, the centre of silk manufacturing, at that time.

 

Participants of different ranks were distinguished by the design of their armour. The present set, made of satin padded with cotton, lined with blue silk and embroidered with four-clawed dragons in roundels, suggests that it might have been worn by a member of the imperial nobility or a high-ranking official. A related 18th-century ceremonial armour made for a high-ranking military official, embroidered with four-clawed dragons and additional cloud scrolls and crashing waves between the roundels, is preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 36.25.5).

 

Compare also some colourful but less sumptuously decorated ceremonial suits of armour, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (accession nos gu-171198, gu-171988, gu-171989, gu-171990, gu-171991, gu-171992, gu-171994 and gu-171999), illustrated in China: The Three Emperors. 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Art, London, 2005, pp. 156-7, fig. 51, where it is suggested that they belonged to members of the Eight Banners who guarded the imperial city.