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Unknown Maker, Chinese

Headdress (Dianzi) with Phoenixes and Flowers

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Headdress (Dianzi) with Phoenixes and Flowers

Year

ca. 1850-1900

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

15.2 cm (6 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

37.125

Type

Exhibition History

Shimmering Beauty
Kingfishers in Art and Poetry
Dec 20, 2025 – Jun 07, 2026

Label copy

Elaborate dianzi headdresses like this one were typically worn by wealthy Chinese women on their wedding days or during ceremonial occasions. A close look at the top and front reveals expert technique incorporating many different elements, including kingfisher-feather inlay, stonework, metalwork, and cloisonné, or enamel decoration.

–Camille Blanco, RISD Museum Mellon summer intern 2025, Brown AB 2026

The Applied Image
Mar 11, 1998 – Jun 21, 1998

Label copy

On holidays or days of ceremonies and celebration, Manchu women abandoned their traditional hairstyle and wore ritual clothes and headdresses known as tienizu. The dangling pearls on this headdress distinguish it as a phoenix headdress.

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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
Headdress (Dianzi) with Phoenixes and Flowers, ca. 1850-1900
Silver and copper-alloy with gilding, kingfisher feathers, jadeite, imitation pearls, coral, glass, tourmaline, rose quartz; frame: metal wires with black and green silk floss and black satin
15.2 cm (6 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 37.125

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