Ming Noble's Silk Embroidered "Dragon" Robe: 明赐服袍
A high ranking ennobled Ming official. He wears a prismatic red silk robe with prominently features a dancing python (actually a dragon but without claws) on his left side shoulder and arm. These 赐服 Cifu or "Bequeathed Robes" were extremely rare and were only prestigiously awarded (hence the name) to high ranking nobles, such as sitting Dukes or meritorious officials who had achieved great service to the dynasty. The fashion depicted here is pegged to the 15th-16th century during the Mid- Ming dynasty.
These prestigious embroidered Cifu robes have their own important distinctions. And the types included 蟒袍 Mang Pao "Python Robes," 飞鱼袍 Feiyu Pao "Flying Fish Robes," 斗牛袍 Douniu Pao "Bullfighting Robes" and Qilin Pao 麒麟袍 "Qilin Robes." Many here are probably already familiar with the very recognizable Ming imperial guards and secret police agents called the Jinyi Wei or Embroidered Robe Guards that served the Ming dynasty. And they were allowed to sport the beautiful and terrifying robes as a sign of the emperor's personal favor.
MYTHICAL ANIMALS OF THE HIGH PEERS
Strictly speaking, Python Robes, Flying Fish Robes, Bullfighting Robe, and Qilin Robes are not a type of clothing per se, but a kind of embroidered decoration. They can appear on various part of the suit, such as: dragging, lining, round neck and so on.
THE TRUE DRAGON
On first appearance, all four of the type of animals depicted simply looked like imposing and prismatic dragons. However, among these four types, there are noted differences in how these "dragons" were depicted. One thing to note is that because of the specific taboo of having only ONE "Son of Heaven" who had received the exclusive Mandate of Heaven, the only true Dragon Robe, which marked an Emperor, could only be worn by the Emperor himself.
To do otherwise knowingly is a direct affront to the Emperor's authority, and many a noble or general that had threatened Chinese Emperor in the past had been arrested when "Dragon Robes" were discovered in their own households, thus by traditional standards signified beyond a shadow of a doubt his treasonous and mutinous intent. Thus the reservation of "dragon" in robes was exclusively for the Emperor himself and would be a taboo to have any other type of robes know as "dragons."
However, despite this marking of territories, the imperial house was also not above monopolizing such iconographies either, and many times handed a slightly diluted form of these badges of visual privileges to favorites and generals and scholars who had contributed greatly to the empire.
A DANCE OF IMITATION DRAGONS
In the true dragon's stead, many of these meritorious officials and nobles could instead sport "dragons" that are still not quite dragons. Needless to say that respecting these boundaries also showed one's knowledge and priority to knowing his place and the red lines on the emperor's authority. We shall now dissect the markers that signified these imitation dragons.
PYTHON ROBES
The highest rank of Cifu are the Python Robes: Python in ancient China designated the largest snakes, thus the king of snakes. So some of the Cifu robes are called Python Robes. The difference is in the "dragon's" claws, these dragon- python only uses four claws. On outward appearance, they are similar to the imperial robes of the Emperor himself, but with one claw less. In the late Ming Dynasty, some important officials and dignitaries also wore five-claw dragon clothes, but in keeping with tradition and propriety, they were called "python" rather than "Dragon". A powerful late Ming eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who had immense power during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, secretly wore a five-clawed python suit. Such robes were also bestowed on monarchs who were seen as friends to Ming China. It was an honor literally equaled to Kings.
Trappings of Power: it is easy to confuse these kinds of "dragons" as "dragons", which are not standard uniforms for civil and military officials. As a kind of extremely high courtesy of the emperor to his subjects, if a subject can obtain this form of emperor's blessing, it is regarded as a very high honor that marked him far above his co-ministers and peers. Regardless, Cifus were only awarded to honored nobles and ministers who had done above and beyond the line of duty thus could parade around as if he were almost the emperor's family. Which also included trusted eunuchs. As a very important aside. Cifu were so prized and privileged, that various tributary monarchs around China such as the Kings of Korea, Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) and intermittent Shoguns of Japan sought them from the Ming court as a badge of recognition of their local legitimacy.
"THE FLYING FISH" ROBES
After the prestigious Pythons, the next rank was given to the "Flying Fish." In traditional myth there was a type of special "Flying Fish" (not the modern literal scientific ones) that had a long round body, wings, and topped by a dragon's head. Thus, these "dragons" are in fact said flying fishes. The Flying Fish Robe was mostly associated with Ming empire's dreaded (and visually impressive) Jinyi Wei imperial guards /secret police who were allowed the privilege of wearing these very impressive robes, which in turn showed to the world the particular favor the Emperor entrusted in their dreaded institution.
QILIN ROBES
Not a Qilin Robe, but nonetheless from a lineage that often was wrapped in one. Kong Hongxu 孔弘绪(1448-1504) the sixty first generation heir of Confucius and the Duke of the Confucian estate. Dukes of Yansheng were an immoveable cultural link in Chinese history. And since the creation of this ennobled house as far back as Western Han dynasty it had stayed as an immoveable 2 millennium fixture of Chinese culture with many of the family's members becoming famous scholars serving a revolving door of China's many dynasties. Confucius' family was seen as so untouchables that despite 2000+ years of trials and tribulations, even foreign conquerors such as the Mongol Khans of the Yuan dynasty and Manchu Emperors showered praises and respected their positions. And despite the ravages of the Cultural Revolution, today the Kong clan still held important cultural postings in both Mainland China and Taiwan.
Not a Qilin Robe, traditionally during the Ming, the Dukes of Yansheng (House of Confucius) were bequeathed a gold embroidered unicorn robe and a jade belt.
The Qilin (or Kirin as it was known in Japan and sometimes known as the "Chinese Unicorn" in the West) was an auspicious mythical animal. They are said to have a body of a deer, horse's hooves, with a dragon's head, antlers, and scales, and appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler. Later generations used it as a symbol of auspiciousness for the decoration of various utensils. Visually speaking the Qilin suit is perhaps the most visually unique, as such suit have no claws and instead have a more chubby body and hooves.
BULLFIGHTING ROBE
Like the "Flying Fish," the "Fighting Bull" which was referred to has little to do with the actual bulls as well. But rather refers to a celestial creature that personifies the "Bull" in the 28 Constellations of Chinese astronomy. In this instance, the dragon representations had bull aspects, such as 2 prominent water buffalo horns jutting from its head.
The Bullfighting Robes during the Ming Dynasty was in the shape of a dragon morph, with a fish tail, and two horns on the head that were bent downward like horns. Bullfighting Robe was behind the flying fish in the Ming Dynasty's service system, and after the Python. It was awarded to officials beneath the most prominent ministers but was still seen as a tremendous honor.
Ming Women's Wedding Gown (comparable ranks motifs)
Ming Noblewoman's Robes (matching silk embroidery)
Jin Yiwei Guard's Flying Fish Robes (collection)
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Glazed dragon relief, Forbidden City: Qing dynasty, in the style of Ming dynasty.
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