Velvet Fabric for a Woman's Ao or Magua (Short Coat), Shoes, and Accessories
Qing dynasty (1644–1911), about 1890
Medium
Silk, warp-float faced 3:1 'Z' twill weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut and uncut solid velvet
Dimensions
448.9 × 67.2 cm (176 3/4 × 26 1/2 in.)
Classification
weaving - velvet
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
150168
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Woven Chinese silk has been coveted globally for thousands of years, ever since its development by the Yangshao culture of China (about 5000 to 3000 BCE). This silk velvet yardage is woven to shape, creating pattern pieces for a full-sleeved, short jacket that overlaps in front and would have been worn in informal domestic settings. To avoid wasting the expensive fabric, covers for matching shoes and other accessories were incorporated into the pattern in between the larger pieces.
About the Artist
Manchu
"Manchu" is a cultural and ethnic designation used in museum collection records to identify objects, textiles, costumes, and decorative arts associated with the Manchu people, a Tungusic group originating from the regions northeast of the Great Wall of China. The Manchus rose to political dominance in 1644 when they conquered the declining Ming dynasty and established the Qing dynasty, which ruled...