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Accession Number 2005.5.252 Title Yellow Silk Brocade Tibetan Chuba Category clothing Object Type robe Artist unknown Date Made date unknown Place Made Tibet Culture Tibetan Period 17th-18th centuries Materials yellow silk satin brocaded with silk and metal-wrapped threads Materials Glossary Brocade View Materials Glossary Details » Measurements overall: 151.5 cm x 208 cm; neck to hem: 151.5 cm; cuff to cuff: x 208 cm Description

This robe is a traditional style of Tibetan robe, or a chuba, with a right side opening, long narrow sleeves and a full length hem. It is made from yellow brocade woven with gold dragons and colourful clouds. The main…

This robe is a traditional style of Tibetan robe, or a chuba, with a right side opening, long narrow sleeves and a full length hem. It is made from yellow brocade woven with gold dragons and colourful clouds. The main design motifs are dragons, including two vertical dragons at the front, one coiled dragon at the back, two smaller dragons on the shoulders and two horizontal dragons near the hem. The dragons are surrounded by navy-blue and green clouds with waves, rocks, and clouds at the hem.

The luxury of the fabric is revealed through the gold five-clawed dragons and brilliant yellow ground fabric. This fabric represents the highest rank of the Qing imperial court and would have been made solely for the emperor's use. This silk fabric could be one of the valuable gifts from Emperor Shunzhi (1638-1661) in the early Qing period.

Read More + Credit Line Gift of Sandy and Cécile Mactaggart