Woman's Bridal Dress, Dragon Jacket

Description

This three-piece bridal dress includes a dragon jacket, a pleated skirt, and a tabard, a short loose-fitting sleeveless vest. The ensemble reveals the high rank of her husband; it did not fall under the scope of the Qing dynasty sumptuary laws.

The woman's bridal trousseau contains a short red coat fastened on the side and wide sleeves. It is decorated with ten dragons and other cosmological motifs commonly found on court dress. The presence of ten dragons indicates that the wife's husband was a high-ranking official.

Provenance

Elizabeth Wade Sedgwick [1913–2013], Lexington, MA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–2005); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2005–)

Woman's Bridal Dress, Dragon Jacket

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1800s

Accession Number

2005.135.1

Medium

Silk, gilt-metal thread; embroidery

Dimensions

Overall: 104.2 x 153 cm (41 x 60 1/4 in.)

Classification

Garment

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Elizabeth Wade Sedgwick