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Panel from jacket or robe
Panel from jacket or robe

Panel from jacket or robe

Place of Origin
  • China
Dateapprox. 1850-1911
MaterialsEmbroidery on silk with gold couched threads
DimensionsH 35 in x W. 29 in, H. 88.9 cm x W. 73.7 cm
Credit LineGift of the Gladys Klockars Barber/Mabel Klockars Garner Collection of Asian Textiles and Decorative Arts
Object number1992.14
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsTextiles
On View
Not on view
More Information

The motifs on this piece are drawn primarily from two major thematic categories: women and flowers. Inside the lobed panels and borders are female figures, either dancing under willow trees or next to flowers, holding books in a courtyard, or admiring the landscape. Flowers, including peony, lotus, and orchid, and stylized floral patterns are symbolic of womanhood, a happy marriage, and fertility.

The manufacture of clothing in late imperial China was largely in the hands of women, who could purchase premade materials, especially embroidered patterns, to be cut off and sewn onto clothing according to their own preferences. A panel like this one was carefully designed with a variety of borders and trims for different uses. The square could be used around a collar. The trims curved at one end were suitable for edging on side-fastening closures or sideslits of a robe. The borders with either a straight or slanted end could be used to decorate sleeves and hems of garments, skirts, and pants.