Image

Chinese Qing, China

Woman's imperial Manchu coat (Ch'i-Fu), ca. 1873

Description

Maker

Culture

Chinese

Title

Woman's imperial Manchu coat (Ch'i-Fu)

Year

ca. 1873

Medium

Silk, metallic-wrapped yarn; gauze weave, embroidered

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Dimensions

Length: 139.7 cm (55 inches)

Place

China

Type

Credit

Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

35.391

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Applied Image

March 11 - June 21, 1998

Gauze was used instead of satin for summer robes. The open weave of the silk gauze allows the embroiderer to use counted stitch. Counted stitch results in a grid pattern that contrasts with the rounder shapes achieved using other stitches (see the satin stitch on the silk jacket and skirt to the right). RISD's gauze qifu is an imperial under robe and was probably worn at court, perhaps by the emperor himself, as suggested by the many couched five-clawed dragons, a traditional symbol of the emperor.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Woman's imperial Manchu coat (Ch'i-Fu) with the accession number of 35.391. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.