Embroidered green satin women's robe, Pao

This ladies robe is round collar, wide sleeves, rightward cross collared with traditional Chinese frog decoration. With green silk in inner layer, the same color of satin was adopted for its exterior part. The bottom section of the garment is decorated with a multicolored embroidery design of sea and cliff, surrounded by several treasure patterns of auspicious meanings. The "Sea and Cliffs" motif is a traditional pattern including "Sea" and "Cliffs", and it is often used with dragons, animals, and eight treasures pattern at the same time. It often appears on the bottom or cuff part of the ancient formal robe. The sea motif symbolizes the rivers, lakes and sea, the rocks and mountains inside the sea therefore consists the "Cliff"pattern. The combination of rivers and mountains symbolize the country. In the mid-Qing dynasty the pattern of the "Sea and cliffs" has expanded its proportion which may occupy about 25% of the whole garment. The whole effect of the embroidery decoration became exquisite and fine. The vertical height of sea pattern was lengthened comparing to early Qing dynasty, while the width of each sea pattern was shortened. Also, the horizontal propotion of sea was lengthened while its curly waves was narrowed but their quantity increased, as it still can show the powerful waves of sea. At this moment the pattern focused more on the rocks, and it became more complicated while its height grows. In Qianlong reign it became more standalized which shows three mountains and one of them is big and high.