Qing dynasty

Longgua with Dragon Roundels on a Dark Blue Ground

清代石青地团龙纹龙褂

The longgua is an outer coat worn over a robe, usually in dark blue, with dragons arranged in medallions at chest, back and shoulders. The number and placement of the medallions were fixed by rank, making the surcoat one of the most legible markers of status in the Qing system. Each medallion is a complete composition in itself: a frontal dragon at the centre, clouds around it and a wave-and-mountain base below.

Object Details

Dynasty: Qing dynasty
Period: To be added
Date: To be added
Object type: Longgua (dragon surcoat)
Material: Silk, gold-wrapped thread
Technique: To be added
Dimensions: To be added
Collection: To be added

Related Motifs

Details

Research Notes

Confined to a circle, the roundel composition is highly codified, which makes the differences between examples — how the body coils, how densely the clouds fill the field — unusually legible. It is a good standard against which to compare.