Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • Collection
  • Collection Research
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Watch / Listen / Read

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum
Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 / 24 Next image
  • The backside of an orange robe laid flat with wide rectangular sleeves, gold-detailed embroidery along the sleeves, collar, and bottom hem, and a radiating circular design featuring a tiered building.
  • An embroidered blue dragon-like creature blows red flames above a blue wave framed vertically between gold and green bands on orange silk folded in front of yellow inside lining.
  • Close-up of a red, green, blue, and gold detailed embroidery of a mythical, peacock-like bird surrounded by gold disks and colorful, decorative clouds stitched on an orange silk background.
  • Orange silk hem with green and gold border embroidery of white mythical birds with wings spread and accented with gold, blue, red, and green spaced out by colorful cloud clusters.
  • The back of a green and gold embroidered robe collar with symmetrical white birds beneath and gold, red, green, and blue emblems and clouds on an orange silk background.
  • Vertical gold-embroidered green panels frame the robe’s yellow inside lining, featuring mirrored white and blue dragons, stylized wave patterns, and flame-like clouds in red and blue on orange silk.
  • An embroidered white dragon-like creature puffs colorful flames above blue waves, framed vertically between gold and green bands on orange silk folded in front of yellow inside lining.
  • Orange silk hem with wide green and gold border of blue and red dragons, green and red goat-like animals, and colorful clouds and flames entangled above swirling navy wave forms.
  • A mythological hoofed creature with red cloud-like wings surrounded by colorful clouds floating above blue waves, framed by horizontal gold bands, next to a long gold-detailed green folded layer.
  • Circular embroidery design on tan silk of a red Chinese-styled tiered building with curved roofs, encircled by white birds, peacock-like birds, colorful clouds, and gold discs.
  • An embroidered yellow deer-like animal with blue hooves, horse-like tail, and red wings surrounded by smoke-like clouds and a snake floating above navy waves against gold and green fabric.
  • Circular embroidery design on vibrant coral silk of a red Chinese-styled tiered tower with curved roofs, encircled by white birds, peacock-like birds, colorful clouds, and gold discs.
  • Embroidered circular emblem of a gray creature and tiered Chinese-style building framed inside blue, green, red, and yellow flame-like clouds, surrounded by other emblems and gold discs on orange silk.
  • A mythological hoofed creature with red cloud-like wings surrounded by colorful clouds floating above blue waves, framed by horizontal gold bands, next to a long gold-embroidered green folded layer.
  • A close-up of brightly embroidered clouds in red, green, blue radiate outward symmetrically, framed by gold discs and a curved upper gold band, all on orange and gold silk.
  • Close-up of embroidered white and gold bird with long, curved neck, framed by red flames, gold vertical bands, and geometric borders set against a gold and green latticework background.
  • Close-up of a detailed red, green, blue, and gold embroidered bird with peacock feathers surrounded by swirling clouds and gold discs on an orange silk background.
  • Orange silk hem with green and gold border embroidery of white mythical birds with wings spread and accented with gold, blue, red, and green spaced out by colorful cloud clusters.
  • Embroidered circular emblem featuring a peacock-like creature nearby a tiered building surrounded by colorful, flame-shaped clouds in green, blue, orange, and yellow, other emblems, and gold discs on orange silk.
  • Circular embroidery design on deep orange silk of a red, Chinese-styled tiered tower with curved roofs, encircled by white birds, peacock-like birds, colorful clouds, and gold discs.
  • The front of an orange silk robe laid flat with wide rectangular sleeves, gold and green embroidery along the cuffs, collar, and hems featuring mythical creatures and floral patterns.
  • The front of an orange robe laid flat with wide rectangular sleeves. Gold, red, and green embroidery along the sleeves, collar, and bottom hem feature mythical creatures and floral patterns.

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Daopao (Taoist priest's robe)

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Daopao (Taoist priest's robe)

Year

1800s

Medium

  • silk,
  • gilt paper,
  • metallic-wrapped yarn; satin weave,
  • embroidered

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Silk,
  • gilt paper,
  • metallic-wrapped yarn; satin weave,
  • embroidered

Materials

silk

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

Center back length: 147.3 cm (58 inches) (with collar)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Wallace Hoge

Object Number

1990.082.3

Type

  • Costume

Exhibition History

From the Land of the Immortals
Chinese Taoist Robes and Textiles
Jan 13, 2012 – Apr 22, 2012

Label copy

This robe differs in structure and significance from the others in this exhibition. Unlike the poncho-like jiangyi that was worn by Grand Masters, the daopao (??) is

a sleeved robe for middle-rank Taoist priests. Its form is ancient, and today it is rarely found in museum collections, probably because it was mistakenly perceived as a more ordinary garment. Daopao are usually simpler than the Grand Master robes. This one, however, appears to have the same imagery (patch with sun, moon, heavens of Three Purities, constellations around the golden tower) as the jiangyi. This daopao is still lined with the original hemp fabric customary for Taoist robes. A name (Yan Lang, ??, possibly that of the maker or the owner) is inscribed with ink on the inside lining.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese
Daopao (Taoist priest's robe), 1800s
Silk, gilt paper, metallic-wrapped yarn; satin weave, embroidered
Center back length: 147.3 cm (58 inches) (with collar)
Gift of Mrs. Wallace Hoge 1990.082.3

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Main Navigation

  • Visit

    • Hours & Admission
    • Accessibility & Amenities
    • Tours & Group Visits
    • Visitor Guidelines
  • Art & Design

    • Collection Research
    • Collection
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Join / Give

    • Become a Member
    • Give
  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Events
  • Watch / Listen / Read

    • The Latest
    • Publications
    • Articles
    • Audio & Video

Footer Secondary Navigation

  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use
Tickets
Homepage
Go to the risd.edu homepage. This link will open in a new window.