Lot 77. A rare Imperial light-blue ground silk dragon vest, xiapei, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 135cm (53 1/8in) long. Estimate £20,000 - 30,000. Sold for £ 50,000 (€ 57,240) inc. premium. © Bonhams 2001-2018

The vest finely woven in shades of blue, red, green, yellow and gold-wrapped thread with four ascending five-clawed sinuous dragons striding above rocks and auspicious objects amidst crashing waves, the design repeated on the reverse with two ascending dragons beneath a third larger front-facing dragon coiled around a flaming pearl, all reserved on an light blue ground and framed by green and red silk ribbon borders highlighted by gold-wrapped threads flanking a black velvet border with raised metal bosses, the hemline with openwork mesh suspending multi-coloured tassels, the interior lined in coral-coloured silk.

Provenance: Ren Clark (1904-1991), acquired from Liberty & Co. Ltd., London, on 8 October 1948, and thence by descent.

Note: Ren Clark (1904-1991), M.I.M.C. with Gold Star, served as president of IBM (1947-48) in Forth Worth, Texas. Whilst at IBM, he received the Medallion of Honour, the highest award that could be bestowed by the Board of Trustees. Prior to his career at IBM, Clark received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Texas A&M University in College Station and later served as banker and as executive chairman for several oil and gas companies. 

Court vests, such as the present one, were worn over court robes during formal aristocratic occasions and were typically constructed with a centre front-opening. According to the dress regulations, Huangchao liqi tushi, codified in 1759, only royal consorts, namely the wives of first and second degree princes, could wear garments embroidered with four ascending five-clawed dragons. these vests appeared in the five colours associated with the Court ceremonies, namely pale blue, white, green, red and yellow. Compare with a pale-blue ground silk 'dragon' robe, Kangxi, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, ac.no.02.51.

A related yellow-ground silk xiapei, Kangxi period, from the Minneapolis Museum of Art, is illustrated in Imperial Silks,vol.1, Minneapolis, 2000, no.255; another yellow-ground silk dragon xiapei, Kangxi, was sold at Christie's New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1342.

A rare Imperial yellow brocade silk vest, xiapei, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 54 in. (137.4 cm.) long. Price realised USD 43,750 at Christie's New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1342. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011.

Probably a theatrical vest for a military role, woven in shades of blue, red, green, yellow and gold-wrapped thread with four ascending five-clawed dragons above rocks and auspicious objects amidst crashing waves, the design repeated on the reverse with two ascending dragons beneath a third larger front-facing dragon, all reserved on an ochre-yellow ground and framed by green and red silk borders highlighted by gold-wrapped threads on either side of a thicker black velvet border with raised metal bosses, the lower portion with openwork mesh suspending colored tassels, the interior lined in pink silk.