Accession Number
2005.5.108
Title
Gold Silk Brocade Tibetan Chuba
Category
clothing
Object Type
robe
Artist
unknown
Date Made
1662-1722
Place Made
Tibet
Culture
Tibetan
Period
17th century
Materials
metal-wrapped thread and silk brocade
Materials Glossary
Brocade
View Materials Glossary Details »Measurements
overall: 152.5 cm x 206.5 cm; neck to hem: 152.5 cm; cuff to cuff: x 206.5 cm
Description
This Tibetan robe incorporates segments of Chinese rank badges, which have been stitched into a patchwork fabric. Typically, a rank badge features a single animal symbolizing the wearer's rank. However, on the left…
This Tibetan robe incorporates segments of Chinese rank badges, which have been stitched into a patchwork fabric. Typically, a rank badge features a single animal symbolizing the wearer's rank. However, on the left sleeve, there is a lion representing a second rank military officer, while the right sleeve displays a leopard symbolizing the third military rank. At the center, where the blue dragon is intersected, two qilin badges—indicating the first military rank—are repeated, alongside a panther badge representing the sixth military rank. On the back, the central section includes two crane badges, signifying the first rank for civil officials and a panther badge. These additional segments extend both the body and sleeve lengths, suggesting that the original dragon-patterned fabric was not sized for the Tibetan owner.