Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The lavishly embroidered motifs of dragons, clouds, waves, and rocks on this robe form a diagram that symbolizes the universe: the lower horizontal band of waves at the hem represents the oceans that surround the earth, while the prism-shaped rocks emerging from the waves at the sides, front, and back of the coat symbolize the earth. The cloud-filled firmament above the waves shows dragons—symbols of imperial authority. During the Qing dynasty, yellow indicated “imperial” and the color’s use in garments was reserved for the emperor and his consorts. The emperor would have worn this type of court robe at semi-official meetings at court but not when he performed the official state rituals.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
151451
label
Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
151451
contentType
object
title
Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu)
description
The lavishly embroidered motifs of dragons, clouds, waves, and rocks on this robe form a diagram that symbolizes the universe: the lower horizontal band of waves at the hem represents the oceans that surround the earth, while the prism-shaped rocks emerging from the waves at the sides, front, and back of the coat symbolize the earth. The cloud-filled firmament above the waves shows dragons—symbols of imperial authority. During the Qing dynasty, yellow indicated “imperial” and the color’s use in garments was reserved for the emperor and his consorts. The emperor would have worn this type of court robe at semi-official meetings at court but not when he performed the official state rituals.
date
late 1700s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79934965
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
width across shoulders: 226.1 cm (89 in.); length back of neck to hem: 154.9 cm (61 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1820)
accession
1983.32
Source extras
tec
Silk: satin weave; silk and metal thread: embroidery
tombstone
Semi-formal Court Robe (Jifu), late 1700s. China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1820). Silk: satin weave; silk and metal thread: embroidery; width across shoulders: 226.1 cm (89 in.); length back of neck to hem: 154.9 cm (61 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1983.32
collection
Textiles
didYouKnow
Look for the red bats embroidered throughout the robe. They are lucky symbols, because the words for “bat” and for “luck” are homophones, both pronounced “fu."
citations
citation
Vollmer, John. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne: Chʻing Dynasty Costume (1644-1911) in the Royal Ontario Museum. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1977.
page_number
p.46, 54
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Images of the Mind.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1987.
page_number
Reproduced: [p. 4]
citation
Wilson, J. Keith. "Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 77, no. 8 (1990): 286-323.
page_number
fig. 24, p. 306, cat. no. 34, p. 321
url
www.jstor.org/stable/25161297
citation
Vollmer, John, Thierry Prat, and Richard Sheppard. Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles : from the Liao Through the Qing Dynasty. Paris: Myrna Myers, 2003.
page_number
no. 25
citation
Hall, Chris. Power Dressing: Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection. Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2006.
page_number
no. 22, p. 142-145
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-17 11:19:44.711000
sourceId
151451
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
Silk: satin weave; silk and metal thread: embroidery
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9b6a86bf89d5af11