China, 18^th-19^th century. Finely woven with silk and gilt thread depicting a front-facing four-clawed dragon writhing around a flaming pearl, surrounded by ruyi-shaped clouds against a midnight blue ground. The dragon’s face is neatly detailed with embroidered eyes, long and elegantly curved whiskers, and two horns.

Provenance: From an English private collection.
Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear and little soiling. Mounted and framed behind glass.

Dimensions: Diameter 28 cm, Size incl. frame 41 x 41 cm

With an old wood frame by R. Jackson & Son, Liverpool, according to the label applied to backside.

The Qing emperors made Beijing a major center for the study of Tibetan Buddhism. The Qianlong emperor, in particular, recognized the supremacy of the religious authority of the Dalai Lama, and in turn Tibetans acknowledged the emperor as the incarnation of the Bodhisattva Manjusri, a manifestation of the Buddha of the Future.

The origin of Imperial surcoats, gunfu, appears to date to the Zhou dynasty. The name continued to be used throughout the Qing dynasty, suggesting the Manchu emperors’ intention of representing themselves as legitimate Chinese emperors. The emperor’s surcoat was decorated with four roundels each centered with a five-clawed dragon. By the mid-eighteenth century, wearing a surcoat over a semi-formal dragon robe, jifu, was widespread throughout the court. The four-clawed Mang dragons, as seen on the present lot, were worn on third-rank nobles’ surcoats, as recorded in the 1759 court regulations Huang chao li qi tushi.

Literature comparison: Compare with a related silk embroidered dragon roundel from a ceremonial garment, dated to the early 18th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 62.97.36. Compare a related kesi dragon roundel illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum 51, Costumes and Accessories of the Qing Court, page 49.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related kesi dragon roundel, dated to the 18^th century, at Sotheby’s London in Important Chinese Art on 6 November 2019, lot 115, sold for GBP 10,000. Compare a related Imperial kesi dragon roundel, dated to the Daoguang period, at Christie’s London in Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles on 17 May 2013, lot 1451, sold for GBP 7,500. Compare a related Imperial kesi dragon roundel, dated to the Qianlong period, at Bonhams London in Fine Chinese Art Including Exceptional Textiles Curated by Linda Wrigglesworth on 13 May 2021, lot 85, sold for GBP 24,000.

清代御製緙絲龍紋圓補子
中國，十八至十九世紀。用絲和金線精心緙製而成，石青色地上，一條正面四爪龍，中央一顆燃燒的龍珠，周圍三暈色如意雲。 龍的細節如彎曲鬍鬚和兩個角，尤爲精緻。

來源：英國私人收藏。
品相：狀況極好，只有輕微磨損和少量汙漬。裝裱在玻璃框內。

尺寸：畫面直徑28厘米，總41 x 41厘米

老木框背面有利物浦R. Jackson & Son藝廊的標籤。

拍賣結果比較：比較一件十八世紀緙絲龍紋圓補子，見倫敦蘇富比Important Chinese Art 2019年11月6日 lot 115, 售價GBP 10,000；比較一件道光時期御製緙絲龍紋補子，見倫敦佳士得Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles 2013年5月17日 lot 1451, 售價GBP 7,500；比較乾隆時期御製緙絲龍紋補子，見倫敦邦翰思由Linda Wrigglesworth策劃的Fine Chinese Art Including Exceptional Textiles 拍賣，2021年5月13日 lot 85, 售價GBP 24,000。