A red-ground silk embroidered 'dragon' robe, Ming dynasty, 17th century | 明十七世紀 大紅地繡麒麟彩鳳紋袍

Geng Zhi Tang Collection.

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The exuberance of the composition indicates that the present robe was destined not for the imperial court, but perhaps as a relatively contemporaneous costume of a court attendant for theatrical performance.

A related robe, for the Ming court, is in the Shandong Museum, and another in the Chongqing Museum is illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji / Complete Volumes on Fine Chinese Art, Beijing, 1987, p. 30.