An elegant embroidered cloud collar, Qing dynasty, 19th century.
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The circular collar comprised of eight long silk pendent tabs, with eight shorter ones in between. the long tabs suspending a large ruyi head, decorated with appliques made from various silk materials and embroidery techniques. Length lying flat 84 cm.
Wear.
Provenance
From the collection of Eskil (Viktor Sofokles) Ågren (1897-1969), site manager of Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget (Swedish Match) in Asia, the family lived in Shanghai and Kobe during the years 1927-1934. Manager of Västerviks tändsticks AB after the return to Sweden.
More information
The cloud collar 云肩 and reflects ancient cosmological wisdom. It has a circle at the centre, which represents heaven, the panels are often in the shape of a ruyi 如意 cloud, meaning “as you wish”, symbolising the gates to heaven. As an accessory, the earliest cloud collar can be seen in the seventh-century Dunhuang 敦煌 cave paintings of buddhas, but from the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), the cloud collar became a fashionable accessory for Chinese women.