Christie's. Art d'Asie, Paris, 12 December 2018
A rare imperial gold, silver and copper kesi dragon robe, longpao, Qing dynasty, 19th century
Lot 98. A rare imperial gold, silver and copper kesi dragon robe, longpao, Qing dynasty, 19th century. Largeur: 140 cm. (55 1/8 in.). Estimate : EUR 30,000 - EUR 50,000. Lot sold: EUR 37,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Le fond bleu du kesi est délicatement brodé de fils d'or, d'argent et de cuivre montrant des dragons à cinq griffes poursuivant la perle enflammée parmi des nuages stylisés en forme de têtes de ruyi, les chauves-souris et les huit emblèmes taoïstes. La partie basse est ornée du diagramme terrestre et d'une bande de lishui, le même décor se répétant au col et aux manches.
Provenance: Christie's London, South Kensington, 15 July 2005, lot 5731.
Note: The design on this kesi, or silk tapestry-woven fabric, has been created with metallic threads. Producing these threads was a time-consuming task. Gold and silver leaf was applied to paper, which was cut into narrow strips and wrapped around a silk thread. The more coppery tones were produced by using red paper and a red silk core thread, while using yellow or cream-coloured paper and a yellow or white silk core threads produced more golden tones. These metallic threads were far less flexible than silk threads and required extraordinary technical and artistic skills to manipulate them. These sumptuous effects were particularly valued by the members of the Manchu aristocracy.








