CHINA Costume Imperial Court Empress Princess Emperor

Description: LEGEND TO THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE PRINT: SEE BELOW Print Specifics: Type of print: Lithograph - Original French antique print.Year of printing: not indicated in the print - actual 1888 Publisher: Albert Racinet, Imp. Firmin Didot Condition: 1 (1. Excellent - 2. Very good - 3. Good - 4. Fair).Dimensions: 7 x 8.5 inches (18 x 21 cm) incl. blank border around the image. Paper weight: 2 (1. Thick - 2. Heavier - 3. Medium heavy - 4. Slightly heavier - 5. Thin)Reverse side: BlankNotes: (1) Green color around the print in the photo is a contrasting background on which the print was photographed. (2) The print detail is sharper than the photos of the print. Legend: (The Imperial Court) THE NATIVE CHINESE POPULATION was overrun by the invading Manchu race in the 17th century. However, the traditional customs of the Chinese won the day over the practices of their conquerors, with the result that the Manchu people adopted many Chinese religious and civil customs. One area in which Chinese and Manchu tastes remained different was women's dress. (top row illustrations designated as 1.x, bottom row as 2.x) The essential items of a Chinese lady's wardrobe are: first, a large under-garment stretching from the waist down to the top of the ankles. This is held up at the top by a belt of cloth and edged at the bottom with ribbons. Next, a han-chaol. This is a blouse made in the shape of a short tunic, longest at the front, where it is gathered in, and going no further down the back than the waist. A lining of silken net is normally worn beneath this blouse to pre- vent it from clinging to the skin. The principal items of clothing are: the haol - a long dress split at the sides with long narrow sleeves, fixed at the waist with a belt; and the ma-coual - an outer-garment with short, wide sleeves. 1.1 A princess of the Imperial family wearing indoor clothes and a black velvet diadem decorated with artificial flowers. Her hair has been divided into strands and tied with ribbons, and on the back of her head she has a crown of blue feathers and dropped pearls. Her bracelets are gold and her neckerchief is made of red silk. Instead of a ma-coual, she is wearing a short, sleeveless jacket over her robe. The jacket is lemon yellow, this being the distinctive colour of the imperial family. The five-clawed dragon is also in Imperial colours and it, too, is a prerogative of the royal family. 1.2 A niutze, a young servant girl, wearing her hair arranged in strands, and decorated with artificial flowers and a golden hairpin. Her bracelets are made of pearls and her neckerchief of green silk. The ladies of the Imperial house would have had about 120 servants in their personal service: loo eunuchs, 10 women and 10 young girls. 1.3 In China, civil and military service is rewarded by the right to wear certain items of costume, examples of which shown here are the yellow cape and the peacock feather in the hat. The mandarin is also wearing an embroidered chest-piece and a long robe decorated with three- and four-clawed dragons. On the table next to him is a water-pipe for smoking opium. 2.1 The Empress Hoang-heou, wearing ceremonial costume, including a bonnet of embroidered satin. 2.2 A young servant girl, or niutze. She is handing her mistress a jade sceptre - an emblem of the highest rank. 2.3 A mandarin in ceremonial costume, wearing a collar of coral, an embroidered pectoral, silk boots and the imperial yellow cape. 2.4 The Emperor Thien-Tseu, whose name means 'son of heaven', in ceremonial costume. His clothes, his jewels, his jade sceptre - particularly his throne - all exude an appropriate air of grandeur and dignity. Martin2001 Satisfaction Guaranteed Policy! Any print purchased from me may be returned for any (or no) reason for a full refund including all postage. eBay seller since 1998.Five-star service.

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Location: Manassas, Virginia

End Time: 2024-11-04T19:04:32.000Z

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