Lot 3086. An Imperial yellow-ground kesi ‘Twelve Symbols’ semi-formal ‘Dragon’ robe, jifu, Qing dynasty, 19th century;  length 152.5 cm., 60 in. width 227.5 cm., 89 1/2  in. Estimate 1,500,000 — 2,000,000 HKD. Lot Sold: 2,320,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

exquisitely woven with nine gold-thread 'five-clawed' longdragons grasping flaming pearls, four in profile clutching 'flaming pearls' amidst dense blue clouds, and shou characters in three different scripts, finely shaded pink and red bats soaring throughout, all above turbulent waves accented with ruyi heads and auspicious emblems and an undulating lishui stripe in fine shaded tones of red, grey, yellow and blue, the Twelve Symbols of imperial authority arranged in three groups of four starting with the sun, moon, constellation and rock around the neck; the fu symbol, axe head, pair of small dragons and a golden pheasant around the middle of the robe; and the sacrificial vessels, water plant, flames and grain above the wave, set with a dark blue collar and cuffs with further dragons and yellow striped sleeves

Provenance: Jon Eric Riis, Atlanta, Georgia.