Cleveland Museum of Art

Woman's Bridal Dress: Dragon Jacket, Pleated Skirt, Tabard

Date

1800s

Medium

Silk, gilt-metal thread; embroidery

Culture

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This three-piece bridal dress includes a dragon jacket, a pleated skirt, and a tabard, a short loose-fitting sleeveless vest. The ensemble reveals the high rank of her husband even though it did not fall under the scope of the Qing Dynasty sumptuary laws. The woman's bridal trousseau contains a short red coat with side-fastening and wide sleeves. It is decorated with ten dragons and other cosmological motifs commonly found on court dress. The presence of ten dragons indicates that the wife's husband was a high-ranking official. The dragon jacket was worn over a pleated turquoise skirt, with six embroidered panels which feature dragons in the front and back. A three-quarter-length sleeveless tabard completes the outfit, with a front closure, open sides secured by cloth bands, and a colorful tasseled fringe around the hem. Dragons, water, and clouds are embroidered on the silk ground. In addition, a rank badge applied on the front and back shows that the bride married a man of high official rank.

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