An Imperial yellow satin brocade tibetan -style 'dragon' robe (chuba), Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

constructed in Tibet from Chinese Kangxi period imperial yellow silk brocade, the design dominated by eight complete five-clawed dragons grasping flaming pearls on the front, back and shoulders, with four partial dragons on the sleeves, superimposed against a ground of interconnected clouds and small dragons, woven in gold and multi-colored threads, all above a partial terrestrial diagram at the hem, the collar, inner flap and one sleeve fashioned from waves taken from the original border, edged and lined with dark and light fur pelts creating a checked design - Length 47 1/2  in., 120.7 cm; Width 86 in., 218.4 cm

Provenance: Stephen McGuinness, circa 1980.

Notes: During the Qing dynasty, the imperial court patronized Tibetan Buddhism as a way to consolidate their control over their vast empire. The Qing emperors sent lavish gifts to major Tibetan monasteries and leading monks and teachers. As Tibet did not produce silk, the Tibetans particularly welcomed gifts of luxurious silk textiles from China.

The yellow color of the present lot indicates that the material was originally made for the imperial court. The dragon robe was probably a gift from the Qing court to a Buddhist monastery, where it was re-cut and turned into a chuba. 

The style of the dragons with their long narrow snouts, wide open mouths, knobby heads and round eyes below pointed eyebrows, indicate a 17th century date. For an example of a 17th century dragon robe see Heaven's Embroidered Cloths, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 208-209. It is likely that the fabric was intended for a surcoat such as the late 17th century example illustrated in John E. Vollmer, Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Textiles and Costumes, Paris, 2004, no. 23.  As Vollmer notes, although the style of the Ming dragon continued into the early Qing, the size of the dragons decreased, while the number increased. It was not until 1759 that the number of dragons on an imperial dragon robe was fixed at nine.

Qing dynasty robes had sleeve extensions made from separate pieces of pleated silk, as a Manchu homage to their horse-riding nomadic past, where sleeves would have been pushed-up while riding. When uncut Qing robes were restyled intochuba, it was necessary to obtain fabric for the sleeves from elsewhere.

It is rare to find an interconnected cloud ground as seen on the present lot, but an embroidered example of a Kangxi period dragon robe with a similar design of dragons superimposed on interconnected clouds was sold at Christie's London, 9th November 2010, lot 276. For further examples of chuba made from material from the Imperial court see Heaven's Embroidered Cloths, op. cit., pp. 206-207 and 220-221, and one sold at Christie's New York, 17th September 2008, lot 174.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 15 sept. 2015