Manchu woman's formal domestic surcoat

飛蝶﹑牡丹﹑紫玉蘭﹑菊﹑梅﹑桃花﹑桂花﹑蘭草﹑團花﹑魚龍﹑雜寶﹑壽山石﹑海水

A formal coat with a front opening like this one was an important part of women's outfits among the upper class of the Manchu, the northern people who overthrew the Ming dynasty and established the Qing in 1644. The symmetrical arrangement of the medallions of dragons and flowers on this garment indicates wealth and nobility.

Woven into the fabric are flower designs—peony, magnolia, cockscomb, plum blossom, peach, chrysanthemum, osmanthus, and cymbidium (a type of orchid)—and butterflies. This combination is not associated with a specific season; rather, it is a year-round auspicious motif known as "one-hundred flowers," designed to be worn on ceremonial occasions. Above the woven hem are dragons and symbols of Buddhism, including a wheel, canopy, umbrella, lotus, vase, fish, and knot. The sleeves are decorated with smaller medallions and a shorter wave motif, among which are swastikas (another auspicious symbol at the time), branches of coral, wish-granting wands, and scrolls. Together they convey a wish for good fortune.