A chestnut embroidered gauze child's 'dragon' robe, Jiaqing period. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€27,000 - 44,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The delicate gauze embellished with eight couched gold five-clawed dragons, four front-facing and four reaching upwards towards a flaming pearl of wisdom, the Eight Buddhist Symbols, bajixiang, woven on each side amid scattered cloud scrolls, all above bats and precious objects emerging from foaming waves crashing against high rocks, the interior flap with bats and cloud scrolls. 36in (92cm) long

Notes: The present robe is rare in that it appears to be based on official court clothing, such as the following lot 8092, but it is nevertheless made for a child, who would not have been permitted to attend court functions - except an Emperor himself in his minority, which would not be the case in the late 18th or early 19th century. 

Compare a similar robe illustrated by M. Myers, Silks for Thrones and Altars, Blanchard, 2003, p. 66, no. 28, which the author describes as 'quasi-official,' and suggests that it would have been worn at personal and seasonal celebrations within a family context. Such family occasions would mirror the court functions of the time, with the patriarch and matriarch viewed as emperor and empress within the family, and similar gradations of status conferred on family members and reflected in their apparel. This would achieve the sense of universal order and harmony within the family context which the emperor embodied on a larger scale for the nation. The close resemblance of boy's dress to an adult's encourages the son to emulate the status and importance of the father.

BONHAMS. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK