Den blå kesivävnaden är dekorerad med nio femkloade drakar, två som är avbildade framifrån, de andra från sidan, sträckandes sig efter den flammande pärlan. Drakarna rör sig bland lingzhiformade moln, dyrbara ting och fladdermöss ovan en terrestial diagram och lishuirand. Dekoren upprepas på krage och armavslut. Fodrad med ljusblått siden. Längd 137 cm. Längd arm till arm 200 cm.
Slitage.
Purchased at Christies 19 November 2002, Sale no 9511, lot no 2.
Property of a private Finnish Collection.
The collection was formed between 1980-2020, the collector has had an interest in China and Chinese Works of Art since childhood, growing up in Beijing. He returned to China in grownup years for work, he came to live in China altogether more than 40 years. His love of China, and Chinese works of art is mirrored in the collection and being an academic collector, he never got tired of learning more about the subject by studying literature, attending lectures, visiting museums, auction houses and befriending curators from Peking, Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Stockholm. The collection consists of both Chinese ceramics and textiles, This being part 2, a part of the textile collection.
Compare with a robe sold at Christies, 29 May 2013, Live auction 3213, Imperial Sale; Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Lot 2154.
An embroidered blue silk gauze summer dragon robe of this pattern is illustrated by Chris Hall et al., Powerdressing: Textiles for Rulers and Priests from the Chris Hall Collection, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, 2006, p. 147, no. 23, where the authors note that 'blue was the colour used on dragon robes worn by the third and fourth degree princes, nobles down to the eleventh degree, and officials.'