Surcoat
Datelate 19th-century
Label TextThis exquisite surcoat is the second-most formal type of official clothing for women during the Qing period. Decorations on Qing official wardrobes designated the rank of the wearer. The empress dowager and empress, for example, wore surcoats with dragon motifs. Here, cranes, wings open slightly as if beginning to take flight, embellish the center of eight floral-motif roundels. The crane signals that the female owner of the robe was a wife of a lower-ranking imperial noble or official. A similar crane design can also be seen in the sleeve cuffs. A water motif, represented by diagonal stripes of color, embellishes the edges of the sleeve cuffs and hem of the robe.
Object number99.1
Credit LineGift of Mary Robinson in memory of Mimi Robinson Arnold
Dimensions53 7/8 in. (136.84 cm)
W., Sleeves: 67 5/8 in.
MediumSilk cloth with embroidery
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