Embroidered silk jacket and skirt
Name/Title
Embroidered silk jacket and skirtEntry/Object ID
2025.10.11Description
Qing Dynasty floral embroidered jacket and tie-on skirt in yellow silk damask, with colored silk and metallic threads. Jacket and skirt both have pale pink lining. Skirt has pleated side panels.Context
This sumptuous silk ensemble would have been worn by a young Han noblewoman of the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty in China. Each embroidery motif represents a benevolent wish for the wearer: peonies and lotus symbolize beauty and purity, with lotus pods acting as a wish for many children. Bats, like those on the sleeve cuff, represent wealth and marital bliss, as do butterflies when paired with flowers. Perhaps the wearer was a newlywed or bride-to-be. The matching skirt and short jacket, or aoqun, were specific to the Han, the largest ethnic group in the world, who maintained their distinct style and culture through the changing of dynasties. The flowing fabrics and easy, draped silhouettes reflect Confucian principles of balance, movement, and fluidity. The pleating style on the skirt creates an effect similar to fish scales, which was especially popular in the late 19th century, suggesting this aoqun was made sometime between 1850 and 1912. Despite wear and staining from age, nearly every carefully laid satin stitch remains neatly anchored, a testament to the mastery of the embroiderers.Category
Clothing
Acquisition
Accession
2025.10Clothing/Dress/Costume Details
Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume
JacketClothing Sex
FemaleTextile Details
Fabric
SilkMaterial
Silk, Metallic threadsColor
Yellow, Blue, Pink, BlackMade/Created
Artist
Unknown makerDate made
circa 1850 - circa 1900Time Period
Late 19th CenturyPlace
Country
ChinaContinent
AsiaEthnography
Cultural Region
Country
ChinaContinent
AsiaCulture/Tribe
Han