collar

Woman's multi-layered collar, probably to be worn by a bride on her wedding day, comprising overlapping panels of multi-coloured satin, trimmed with blue and white satin binding and some with ribbons to frame the panels. It is lined with pale blue damask. The collar is heavily embroidered in knot stitches with multi-coloured silk thread and couched stitches with gilt metal thread. The top tier of the petal-shaped panels is embroidered with butterflies and floral sprays on turquoise satin, the second tier with flowering branches in vases on lilac satin, the third tier with the Eight Daoist Emblems on cream satin, the fourth tier with lady in garden scene alternating with the Eight Precious Objects, ba bao, on red satin, and the fifth tier with flowering branches with birds or insects, on either turquoise or purple. The flowers include peony, plum blossom, lotus, magnolia, pomegranate and chrysanthemum. The central front has four distinct overlapping leaf-shaped panels, the top one of which is embroidered with butterfly and peony spray on red satin, followed by butterfly with flowering branch in vase on orange satin, a scholar in a garden on deep purple, phoenix and peony on turquoise, and at the bottom with a large ruyi-shaped panel of orange satin embroidered with a scene of a lady in a garden.