Accession Number
2005.5.621.5.1
Title
Court Necklace
Category
costume accessories
Object Type
necklace
Artist
unknown
Date Made
date unknown
Place Made
China
Culture
Chinese
Period
Qing 19th century
Materials
brass; silk; jade; coral
Measurements
overall: 71 cm
Description
A court necklace (chaozhu) with 108 translucent red glass beads (possibly imitating amber), large jadeite beads, opaque coral beads, and jadeite and brass pendants. Two strands of beads hang off the right side of the…
A court necklace (chaozhu) with 108 translucent red glass beads (possibly imitating amber), large jadeite beads, opaque coral beads, and jadeite and brass pendants. Two strands of beads hang off the right side of the necklace, while the single strand hangs off the left. Each of these strands contains two groups of five coral beads on a silk cord and end in a jadeite teardrop pendant with a brass connector. A flat yellow silk cord with blue and white striped sections and a jadeite and brass pendant hangs down the back of the wearer's neck as a counterweight. This counterweight strand is connected to the rest of the necklace by a jadeite bead. Near this bead, the necklace cord is wrapped with white, blue and black silk thread and has two circular brass connectors. Court necklaces have 108 beads divided into four sets of 27 beads, which are separated by large Buddha beads (futou) (Vollmer, Dressed to Rule, p. 52). The Huangchao liqi tushi (2004.19.1.1.9) demonstrates how high ranking female members of the imperial court wore three court necklaces (two criss-crossed around her torso and one around her neck), with specific materials for each rank. This necklace was accessioned as a part of a group of garments and accessories that make up a man's court outfit during the Qing Dynasty. There is an accompanying blue cotton box (2005.5.621.5.2) that may have stored this necklace.
Credit Line
Gift of Sandy and Cécile Mactaggart
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Citation
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Page Citation for 2005.5.621.5.1 - Court Necklace
Page Citation
"2005.5.621.5.1 - Court Necklace, Mactaggart Art Collection." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/21-21040. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.