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Source Description

This three-piece bridal dress includes a dragon jacket, a pleated skirt, and a tabard, a short loose-fitting sleeveless vest. The ensemble reveals the high rank of her husband even though it did not fall under the scope of the Qing Dynasty sumptuary laws. <br><br>The woman's bridal trousseau contains a short red coat with side-fastening and wide sleeves. It is decorated with ten dragons and other cosmological motifs commonly found on court dress. The presence of ten dragons indicates that the wife's husband was a high-ranking official. <br><br>The dragon jacket was worn over a pleated turquoise skirt, with six embroidered panels which feature dragons in the front and back.<br><br>A three-quarter-length sleeveless tabard completes the outfit, with a front closure, open sides secured by cloth bands, and a colorful tasseled fringe around the hem. Dragons, water, and clouds are embroidered on the silk ground. In addition, a rank badge applied on the front and back shows that the bride married a man of high official rank.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
163632
label
Woman's Bridal Dress: Dragon Jacket, Pleated Skirt, Tabard
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
163632
contentType
object
title
Woman's Bridal Dress: Dragon Jacket, Pleated Skirt, Tabard
description
This three-piece bridal dress includes a dragon jacket, a pleated skirt, and a tabard, a short loose-fitting sleeveless vest. The ensemble reveals the high rank of her husband even though it did not fall under the scope of the Qing Dynasty sumptuary laws. <br><br>The woman's bridal trousseau contains a short red coat with side-fastening and wide sleeves. It is decorated with ten dragons and other cosmological motifs commonly found on court dress. The presence of ten dragons indicates that the wife's husband was a high-ranking official. <br><br>The dragon jacket was worn over a pleated turquoise skirt, with six embroidered panels which feature dragons in the front and back.<br><br>A three-quarter-length sleeveless tabard completes the outfit, with a front closure, open sides secured by cloth bands, and a colorful tasseled fringe around the hem. Dragons, water, and clouds are embroidered on the silk ground. In addition, a rank badge applied on the front and back shows that the bride married a man of high official rank.
date
1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79990000
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 104.2 x 153 cm (41 x 60 1/4 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
accession
2005.135
Source extras
tec
Silk, gilt-metal thread; embroidery
tombstone
Woman's Bridal Dress: Dragon Jacket, Pleated Skirt, Tabard, 1800s. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Silk, gilt-metal thread; embroidery; overall: 104.2 x 153 cm (41 x 60 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Elizabeth Wade Sedgwick, 2005.135
collection
Textiles
creditline
Gift of Elizabeth Wade Sedgwick
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:30:01.861000
sourceId
163632
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
Silk, gilt-metal thread; embroidery
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
86553849045c284a