A RARE IMPERIAL MIDNIGHT-BLUE GOLD AND SILVER COUCHED PRINCE'S SURCOAT, BUFU
18th/early 19th century
18th/early 19th century
The front-opening coat secured by a gilt-metal button at the neck, intricately couched in gold and silver-wrapped threads with four front-facing five-clawed dragon roundels on the front, back and shoulders, each dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl, surrounded by dense cloud scrolls over churning waves, the eyes with embroidered details, lined with pale-yellow silk.
50 1/2in (128.2cm) long
十八/十九世紀初 御製石青緞盤金四團龍皇子補服
Surcoats of the upper ranks of the Imperial nobility were decorated with dragon roundels. Bufu with four front-facing dragon roundels were assigned to all the sons of the emperor, huangzi, while princes of the first rank, qinwang, usually a title bestowed upon the emperor's brothers, were allowed front-facing dragons on the front and back with side-facing dragons on the shoulders.
The bufu was worn over a dragon robe, as a result the edges of the sleeves and hems were left unadorned in order to reveal the horse hoof cuffs and lishui border of the robe beneath.
A 19th century embroidered gauze qinwang bufu was sold at Christie's New York, 24 March 2004, lot 30; and a late 18th/19th century gauze example, also made for a qinwang was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3351. A mid-19th century uncut kesi yardage with four front-facing dragon roundels was sold at Christie's, South Kensington, 9 November 2012, lot 1291.
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18th/early 19th century
18th/early 19th century
The front-opening coat secured by a gilt-metal button at the neck, intricately couched in gold and silver-wrapped threads with four front-facing five-clawed dragon roundels on the front, back and shoulders, each dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl, surrounded by dense cloud scrolls over churning waves, the eyes with embroidered details, lined with pale-yellow silk.
50 1/2in (128.2cm) long
十八/十九世紀初 御製石青緞盤金四團龍皇子補服
Surcoats of the upper ranks of the Imperial nobility were decorated with dragon roundels. Bufu with four front-facing dragon roundels were assigned to all the sons of the emperor, huangzi, while princes of the first rank, qinwang, usually a title bestowed upon the emperor's brothers, were allowed front-facing dragons on the front and back with side-facing dragons on the shoulders.
The bufu was worn over a dragon robe, as a result the edges of the sleeves and hems were left unadorned in order to reveal the horse hoof cuffs and lishui border of the robe beneath.
A 19th century embroidered gauze qinwang bufu was sold at Christie's New York, 24 March 2004, lot 30; and a late 18th/19th century gauze example, also made for a qinwang was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3351. A mid-19th century uncut kesi yardage with four front-facing dragon roundels was sold at Christie's, South Kensington, 9 November 2012, lot 1291.
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