Ceremonial Robe of Queen for Winter

This ceremonial robe is made of red silk woven with a cloud and phoenix pattern (雲鳳紋織金緞), and is ornamented with a gold cloud and phoenix motif embroidered on the shoulders, cuffs, front and back panels, and the rear waist. The robe also features a pair of undersleeves that were made by stitching yellow, indigo and white stripes together, the ends of which are ornamented with large peony and mandala flower motifs The robe’s shoulders, breast and back are embroidered in golden thread with a five-clawed dragon insignia, and its lining is made with yellow silk ornamented with a bat design enclosing the Chinese character ‘su’ (壽), meaning "longevity".
Ceremonial robes (called wonsam, literally "robe with round sleeves") such as the one were worn by royal ladies of the Joseon dynasty and the subsequent Korean Empire. The robe is characterized by side vents and front panels that are shorter than the rear panels. The robes were made in different colors according to the rank of the member of the royal family destined to wear them. During the Korean Empire, for instance, the empress wore a yellow robe, whereas the emperor's secondary consorts wore a red robe, the crown princess a purple robe, and other lower-ranking royal ladies a green robe.
This particular ceremonial robe was worn by Queen Yeongchin (1901-1989), the consort of King Yeongchin (1897-1970), the last imperial heir of the Korean Empire. She was born Princess Masako Nashimoto, a descendant of the Nashimoto, one of the oldest collateral branches of the Japanese imperial family. The robe exudes all the glamor of official dresses of the Korean Empire that were specially made for the last imperial consort of Korea.