1. V&A Shop
  2. Books
  3. Fashion & textiles
  4. Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City

Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City

£30

Out of Stock

Free GB delivery on orders over £60

Please note shop items are currently GB shipping only

Details
Focusing on the dress and accessories of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), this exquisite book captures the grandeur of the garments worn by emperors and empresses for defined formal engagements. In Qing dynasty China there were clear rules on what to wear on different occasions. Official dresses were worn when the emperor performed sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven and at other important rituals. Auspicious dresses were for New Year, birthdays and weddings. Military dresses for troop inspection; Travelling dresses for hunting and royal visits to provinces, and Ordinary dresses for events of a non-celebrative nature, such as mourning. When not performing public duties, however, the imperial family could freely choose which garments to wear – and this book also illustrates these more casual clothes with colourful and stunning fashion dresses made for the court ladies.

Pages

128

Dimensions

21.59cm x 1.63cm x 26.67cm

ISBN

9781851776207

Colour

Product code

103809

Please note – shop items are currently for GB shipping only, while our delivery partners perform a system update. We are working with them to reopen options as soon as possible.

Our standard delivery charges and estimated timescales are as follows. Selected product exceptions apply; please check the details given. International deliveries may also be subject to customs fees, tariffs or taxes upon arrival, which are your responsibility. See our Delivery and Returns page for more detail.

Standard delivery per order
GB
£5 – or FREE for orders over £60
3-6 working days
Europe & Northern Ireland
Temporarily suspended while we update for GPSR
Temporarily suspended while we update for GPSR
USA
Temporarily suspended for a change in tariff regulations
Temporarily suspended for a change in tariff regulations
Rest of World
Temporarily suspended for a system update with our delivery partner
Temporarily suspended for a system update with our delivery partner

We hope you are happy with your V&A Shop purchase. However if you are not, please contact us. Most items are eligible for a full refund when returnable in an unused, unopened condition, and with original packaging – with the following exceptions. This does not affect your statutory rights. See our Delivery and Returns page for more detail.

The following items are excluded from our returns policy and cannot be refunded unless faulty, damaged, or not as described:

  1. Custom prints and other items made to your specification or personalised;
  2. Items that have been sealed for hygiene reasons, where the seal has been broken, such as beauty products, soap, pierced earrings, hosiery, socks, sunglasses and face coverings;
  3. Perishable or edible items such as flowers or food;
  4. Memberships, tickets for exhibitions, bookings for events and courses.
About the authors

M.Wilson and V.Wilson

Ming Wilson is Senior Curator in the Asian Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she is responsible for the Chinese collection. Verity Wilson worked for 25 years at the V&A as a curator in the Far Eastern Department. She is the author of Chinese Dress (V&A 1997) and Chinese Textiles (V&A 2005) and co-author of World Dress Fashion in Detail (V&A 2002).