A FINE UNCUT BURGUNDY-GROUND EMBROIDERED SILK 'NINE-DRAGON' ROBE Early 19th centuryA FINE UNCUT BURGUNDY-GROUND EMBROIDERED SILK 'NINE-DRAGON' ROBEEarly 19th centuryA complete bolt meticulously worked in bright silk satin stitch and couched gold threads with nine writhing, five-clawed dragons pursuing flaming pearls amidst dense trailing scrolls of wispy clouds interspersed with bats holding auspicious peaches and the Eight Daoist Emblems surrounding a basket with auspicious offerings, all above the terrestrial diagram and lishui stripe at the hem and billowing waves encrusted with auspicious objects of good fortune and long life picked out in vibrant shades of blue, coral, aubergine and green and gold thread, reserved on a rich burgundy ground.305cm (120in) long x 148cm (58 2/8in) wide.十九世紀早期 紅地緞繡龍紋吉服袍料Provenance: a distinguished Hong Kong private collection Jacqueline Simcox Ltd., LondonAn English private collection來源：香港顯赫私人收藏倫敦古董商Jacqueline Simcox Ltd.英國私人收藏Superbly embroidered with nine lively five-clawed dragons worked in metallic gold threads pursuing the flaming pearl amidst trailing clouds interspersed with bats and Daoist Emblems, the present robe would have been made for a high-ranking female member of the Qing Imperial family. Based on the 'Illustrated Regulations for the Ritual Paraphernalia of the Imperial Court' Huangchao Liqi Tushi 皇朝禮器圖式, edited in 1759, the burgundy colour, referred to as qiuxiangse, a variation of brown and purple developed during the late Qing period, was one of the five shades of yellow which could only be worn by the members of the Imperial family, other than the emperor and empress dowager who wore bright yellow minghuang, the heir apparent and his consort who wore apricot yellow xinghuang, and the emperor's other sons who wore golden yellow jinhuang; see J.Vollmer, Ruling from the Dragon Throne: Costumes of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Berlekey CA, 2002, p.85.'Dragon' robes longpao, were referred to as 'auspicious garments' jifu and were worn for occasions celebrating the power and authority of the Qing government. The right to wear such garments depended on the rank and status of the wearer. 'Dragon' robes were characterised by distinct features which emphasised the elegant fabrics as well as the elaborate embroideries and vibrant colours, such as the curved front overlap closing to the right, the long tapered sleeves with extensions of contrasting fabric, the flaring horse hoof cuffs, the deep vents front and back for men and at the sides for women that imitated horse-riding garments; see J.Vollmer, Ibid., pp.94-96. See also a related embroidered burgundy-ground silk woman's 'dragon' robe, circa 1880, illustrated by P.Haig and M.Shelton, Threads of Gold. Chinese Textiles. Ming to Ch'ing, Atglen, PA, 2006, pp.50-51.Compare with a similar but later uncut burgundy-ground embroidered silk robe, circa 1860-1880, which was sold at Bonhams London, 2 November 2021, lot 291.is_parse: 20230413image: yuzhan_bonhams_item.jpgsold_price_type: £