Imperial Nobleman’s Semi-Formal Court Robe
Unknown Chinese, Chinese
Silk, cotton, brocade, and gold
Overall: 4.92 ft. (1.5 m)
Overall: 55 × 74 1/2 in. (139.7 × 189.2 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Robert L. Ripley, Class of 1939H
40.15.12584
Geography
Place Made: China, East Asia, Asia
Object Name
Clothing: Outerwear
Research Area
Asia
Not on view
Label
This robe was likely worn by a high-ranking official due to its blue color and the nine dragons embroidered on front and back. Fashion was a means of asserting one’s power and authority in Imperial China, and the design, color, and symbolic decoration of these robes were strictly regulated based on the wearer’s rank. The dragon was a key signifier of high social status—for example, only the emperor, empress, or empress dowager could wear yellow robes adorned with nine five-clawed dragons. This regulation remained in place until the late 1800s, when it was discarded amidst China’s ongoing political turmoil.
From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Exhibition History
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 5-June 29, 2025.
Provenance
Collected by Robert L. (born LeRoy Robert) Ripley (1890-1949), Mamaroneck, New York, early 20th century (The Ripley's Believe It or Not Collection); given to present collection, 1940.
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