Royal blue satin embroidered plain gold cloud crane jacket

【 Baolan Satin Embroidered Flat Gold Cloud Crane Jacket 】

Baolan Satin Embroidered Flat Gold Cloud Crane Jacket, Qing Guangxu, with a body length of 66 centimeters, a total length of 132 centimeters on both sleeves, a collar height of 7 centimeters, a sleeve width of 21 centimeters, a hem width of 73 centimeters, a left and right train length of 12 centimeters, and a rear train length of 17 centimeters. The old collection of the Qing Palace
This is the daily casual clothes of the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty. Round standing collar, right lapel, Pipa lapel, flat sleeve, left, right and rear train opening. In the lake pigment spun silk, the inner lining is thin with cotton. The collar and sleeve edges are decorated with a long round longevity woven gold satin edge, with a disk buckle and a plain copper buckle each, and four copper gilded gold dragon pattern machine-made coin type buckles. Exquisite sapphire blue satin finish. Embroidered with a red-crowned crane, decorated with plain gold and embroidered with Ruyi Cloud. The red-crowned crane is a symbol of longevity in traditional auspicious patterns. The composition is asymmetrical, and the patterns are full but not cramped. The flying cranes have different postures and natural dynamics, as if they were dancing with the blue sky against the backdrop of the sapphire blue ground and golden cloud patterns. The crane embroidery is exquisite, with its beak and legs embroidered in plain gold. The red crown and feathers on the top of the head are covered with a set needle and a hairpin. The feathers on the body are carved with a scale needle, and the light gray needle line on the edge of the feathers is appropriately extended, resembling a hairpin. This scaling technique gives the feathers a more three-dimensional effect. The central part of the feather is colored with a light gray silk thread, which truly represents the feathers of the crane, as if they were made from feathers glued together. The tail feathers of the crane are not realistically black, but are embroidered in a greenish sapphire blue color with gold threads on the edges. Exaggerated color changes make the color of the crane appear less rigid and monotonous. Before the middle of the Qing Dynasty, such casual clothes with large crane patterns embroidered all over were very rare. In the late Qing Dynasty, the emphasis on personalized patterns and elaborate decorations became fashionable, and a large number of casual clothes with large pattern units emerged in the palace with rich patterns and meanings
Before the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Manchu costumes were generally round necked, but later on, a standing collar was gradually made to adorn the neckline. In the late Qing Dynasty, the size of the standing collar gradually increased, and the height of the standing collar sewn on this jacket was up to 7cm, representing the fashion of the time