This embroidered silk robe is decorated with large, multi-coloured dragons rising among cloud motifs, stitched in dense satin embroidery with additional outlining to create texture and movement. The lower section features the traditional multicoloured “mountain-and-wave” pattern, a motif associated with protection and cosmological order. The bright orange ground and expansive sleeves indicate use outside the formal court dress system, pointing instead to local ceremonial or performance traditions.
A dedicatory inscription inside the robe states that it was “respectfully presented by the disciples of the Tianzhao Hall of the Eastern Temple in Guzhi Village, Ansui County,” confirming its temple-related function. Such garments were worn during communal rituals, processions or theatrical performances linked to local religious festivals in the late Qing.
