Woman’s Robe

Origin: China

Year: 20th Century

Collection: Queens College Costume Collection

Identification number: 202.87.3

Materials: Black silk with hand embroidery

This woman’s robe shows the Chinese adaptation of the T-shape. Its beautiful hand embroidery shows satin-stitched birds, butterflies, fish, flowers and insects encircling the figures of a woman and child. These images illustrate the veneration of nature, and human harmony with nature, central to Chinese ethos. Worn by an older woman, it signifies the Confucian precepts of family harmony and reverence for elders.

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