CHRISTIE’S TO OFFER THE FIRST EVER AUCTION IN THE U.S. DEVOTED TO CHINESE TEXTILES On March 19th Christie’s will be offering a superb single owner sale of Chinese textiles
from the collection of Linda Wrigglesworth
this type rarely
survive. Also included is a beautiful example of an 18th century Imperial dragon robe of pale
chocolate brown silk gauze embroidered in a counted stitch technique with colored silk floss and
gold-wrapped threads (illustrated right, estimate: US$100,000–150,000).
The chestnut, or chocolate color, indicates that the wearer was a member
of the Imperial clan. Chestnut was considered one of the five shades of
Imperial yellow as seen in the 1759 Imperial regulations. A rare 19th
century kesi dragon robe woven with three tones of gold and silver
threads with elegant accents of green and coral (estimate: US$70,000-
90,000) and a rare ceremonial musician’s robe worked in bold colors of magenta and blue (estimate:
US$150,000-180,000) are also in this group – both robes are published in Imperial Wardrobe, pls. 144
and 147-48.
A section on informal Court wear will be highlighted by a delicate fur-lined kesi winter surcoat for an
Imperial noblewoman (estimate: US$250,000-350,000). Woven with an elegant design of floral
roundels and butterflies above a hem of wind-tossed waves from which
emerge peach sprays symbolizing immortality, this robe is a masterpiece
of 18th century woven silk technique, and is in pristine
condition. Other examples include a 19th century
Manchu noblewoman’s summer semi-formal robe of a
light aubergine color embroidered with eight
symmetrically placed floral roundels of lotus (illustrated left, estimate: US$100,000-
150,000), and a beautiful cornflower-blue silk Manchu woman’s full-length vest,
worked with auspicious motifs of gold double gourds symbolizing fertility
(illustrated right, estimate: US$15,000-18,000).
A third section of the sale focuses on regalia worn by members of the
Court to signify status, including rank badges, court necklaces, hats and hat
ornaments. Of note is the empress’s crown decorated with pearl-studded
phoenixes (illustrated left, estimate: US$4,000 – 6,000), made for the 1987
film, The Last Emperor, directed by Bernard Bertolucci. Linda
Wrigglesworth was a consultant and an advisor to the filmmaker and
helped design and create the breathtaking outfits that appear in the film.
Not to be missed are more decorative
items including 18th and 19th century
roundels from robes as well as charming purses, fan cases and embroidered shoes (estimates ranging from US$800-1,200 to US$15,000-18,000). A set of eight Imperial dragon roundels, late 19th century, possibly made for a
surcoat worn by the Longyu Empress, consort of the Guangxu emperor (estimate: US$40,000-
60,000) and a lovely Imperial yellow double gourd purse finely embroidered with three rams
(estimate: US$12,000-18,000) are included in this group.
Apart from formal and informal costume, there are a number of important panels in the
sale, including a rare embroidered pale blue silk rock and flower panel, Qianlong period
(1736-1795) (illustrated left, estimate: US$60,000-80,000). The piece is exquisitely
embroidered with flowering branches growing beside layered rockwork, and certainly
would have graced an Imperial bed chamber. Even rarer is a set of nine Imperial yellow
silk panels exquisitely embroidered with an idyllic scene of female immortals probably
residing in the fabled Kunlun Mountains where it is said that
the peaches of immortality grow (detail illustrated
