Published: Gary Dickinson & Linda Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, London, 1990, page 187.

China. Ink, gilt, and watercolors on paper, with a silk brocade frame and laid down on cardboard. Depicting a lady dressed in a red silk dragon jacket (mang ao), her hair tied behind a blue and red phoenix crown (feng guan) embellished with the four characters ‘feng tian gao ming’ (‘I have received an official appointment from Heaven’) and strings of pearls with blue and red beads.

Provenance: From the private collection of Linda Wrigglesworth, London, United Kingdom. Finding her passion for Chinese textiles in 1976, when encountering her first dragon robe, Linda Wrigglesworth opened her gallery in 1978, and over the following decades became one of the world’s leading experts in antique Chinese costumes and textiles, helping to buy and sell pieces to private collections and public institutions worldwide. She has written countless articles and curated countless exhibitions. In 2008 she retired from her business and sold her private collection of Imperial textiles at Christie’s New York.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, little soiling, and few minuscule tears. The colors still very crisp.

Dimensions: Image size 24.6 x 20.3 cm, Size incl. backing 32.5 x 25 cm

Feng guan (phoenix crown) is a type of traditional headgear for women in Hanfu. It was worn mainly by noblewomen at ceremonies or official occasions. The feng guan is also used as a traditional headgear for brides and could be worn as a set with traditional Chinese wedding dresses, such as the fengguan xiapei. According to De Groot in his book, The Religious System of China, the feng guan, was also known at the Imperial court as Feng tian gao ming, which can be translated as 'I have received an official appointment from Heaven'.

The Mang ao (dragon jacket) is a side fastening jacket decorated with dragons worn by the wives of Chinese officials.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 5 November 2014, lot 293
Estimate: GBP 8,000 or approx. EUR 12,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A portrait of a lady, Qing dynasty, late 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the motif. Note the full body depiction and very large size (221 x 108).



十八至十九世紀貴婦肖像圖
中國，紙本水墨設色描金，鏡片。工筆描繪一位身著紅綢龍襖的貴婦，束發頭，頭戴青紅鳳冠，上面點綴著“奉天誥命”四字 和帶有藍色和紅色珠子的珍珠串。

出版：Gary Dickinson & Linda Wrigglesworth，Imperial Wardrobe，倫敦，1990年，187頁。
來源：英國倫敦Linda Wrigglesworth私人收藏。1976 年，Linda Wrigglesworth 在遇到她的第一件龍袍時激發了她對中國紡織品的熱情，並於 1978 年開設了她的藝廊，在接下來的幾十年裡成為世界知名的中國古董服飾和紡織品專家，幫助世界各地的私人收藏和公共機構購買和銷售藏品。她撰寫了無數文章，策劃了無數展覽。2008年，她從公司退休，在紐約佳士得拍賣行出售了私人收藏的御用織品。

品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損、少量污漬和撕裂。顏色依舊清爽。

尺寸：畫面24.6 x 20.3 厘米，尺寸incl. backing 32.5 x 25 厘米

鳳冠是漢服中女性傳統頭飾中的一種。貴婦在重要儀式或官方場合佩戴。同時，鳳冠也被用作新娘的頭飾，可以與鳳冠霞佩等中國傳統婚禮禮服搭配佩戴。根據De Groot在他的著作《The Religious System of China》(中國的宗教制度)一書中的說法，封官在朝廷中也被稱為“奉天誥命”，可以理解為“我收到來自上天的正式任命”。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦蘇富比，2014年11月5日，lot 293
估價：GBP 8,000（相當於今日EUR 12,500）
描述：清十八世紀《美人圖》 設色紙本
專家評論：比較主題。請注意此圖描繪整身，以及較大的尺寸 (221 x 108)。