Qing-dynasty Military Official Mineral Blue Satin Robe with Hidden Dragon Medallion Patterns Front View

This official court robe for military officers, with a crew neck, a vertical placket, broad sleeves, one back slit and two side slits, is in mineral blue satin decorated with unnoticeable dragon medallion patterns. It goes with a detachable turnover collar made of plain dark green satin. A mandarin square featuring a leopard by gold couching embroidery is attached on both the chest and the back of this robe. Such kind of mandarin squares were rank badges on the court robes of officials in China’s Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912 AD), which not only indicated ranks of wearers based on various motifs, but also differentiated civil officials from military ones, with bird patterns for the former and animals for the latter. According to the leopard motif on the mandarin square of this robe, the wearer should be a third rank military officer during his lifetime.