SOLD

8th Rank Autumn
Late 19th c

hat and box or Qi Guan, for spring or autumn. With black satin brim and crown, the later segmented by hand stitching, with red twisted silk tassels and loop above the brass finial, lined with red cotton, a label with hand written calligraphy, blue tapes , inside 8 in. dia., the red lacquer conical shaped box is painted? black, two oval shaped holes to base for carrying, late 19th c.

Comments

Unusual to find a conical shaped box with the hat. Hat insignia was one way of determining rank. The red silk loop was used on all Qing dynasty official hats, their original purpose possibly to secure the finial. During the late Qing period this was always bolted through the hat.

For similar see: Imperial Wardrobe by Gary Dickinson & Linda Wrigglesworth (Bamboo 1990) p 109

Condition

The outer satin brim is in very good condition. The top has three holes revealing the card lining. The inside is also in very good condition.
The box lid is badly damaged to the top revealing the split cane foundation, which is in itself interesting. There is additional damage to the rim and other parts of the top. The base is also damaged. Detailed photos available.