Sleeveless Vest for the Han Chinese Wife of an Official

This calf-length woman's vest was worn over fuller imperial court robes. Insignia squares adorning the front and back feature a mandarin duck on waves surrounded by clouds, a meander border, and scattered schemes on a black ground. These badges indicate that the woman's husband was an official of the seventh rank. The deep blue silk satin ground of the vest is embroidered with two gold, five-clawed dragons shown in profile in front and another full-faced one at the back, all amidst multicolored clouds, mountains, the "Eight Treasures," and peonies in waves. All the peonies in the waves are embroidered in a decorative stitch style known as "Peking knot." The scattered scheme contains bats, peaches, and auspicious birds used in the rank insignia system.