China's Dragon Robes (Art Media Scholarly Reprints)

This is a long-awaited reprint of the major work first published in 1952. China's Dragon Robes is a scholarly survey of the dragon-patterned robes worn by nobles and officials in China during the later dynasties. Intended as a source book on a major phase of Chinese costume, it is based on translations from many Chinese sources and on the author's personal studies of existing examples of dragon robes in the USA and in China. Although many dragon robes have found their way into Western museums, the little information concerning them which has appeared in exhibition catalogs and monographs has been largely devoted to describing the robes as examples of fine textile works. Dr. Cammann here considers the evolution of the robes, their further development in the Qing dynasty, their function in their own times, their symbolism, the techniques employed in making them, including weaving and dyeing, and their place in Far Eastern culture in general. The thoroughly documented and annotated text, supplemented by carefully chosen illustrations, offers museum curators, historians, and students of Oriental Art a basic discussion of an important, but hitherto neglected chapter in China's cultural history.