A Tibetan Chuba Robe of Ming Dynasty "Boys Riding Goats" Brocade Silk

Lot Details & Additional Photographs

Chinese brocade material dates to Ming dynasty (1368-1644), robe fashioned in Tibet during 18th or 19th century, the exterior brocade finely woven with repeating patterns of boys riding white goats or rams, each figure elegantly dressed in Mongol style hat and fur-trimmed red and green winter robes, carrying a flowering plum prunus branch suspending a bird cage over the shoulders, all surrounded by Treasure and Precious Object motifs including: flaming pearls, coral branches, jewels, ruyi heads, lozenges, and scrolls, all on a warm tan ground, interior of robe lined with light blue silk cotton and later red silk panels to interior edges.

Hanging 54 x 80 in., Folded 4 x 13 x 16 in.

Private Collection, Charlotte, North Carolina, collected in Nepal during the 1970s

The robe was purchased in Kathmandu, Nepal by the consignor in 1973.

Among the most desired silks incorporated into Tibetan dress are Chinese brocades woven with the "boys riding goats" motif, a popular decorative theme of the Ming dynasty associated with wishes for abundant male progeny, prosperity, and good fortune.

This brocade pattern was highly valued and it is unusual to find remaining examples larger than a cut panel. Therefore, using this important imperial-quality Chinese brocade fabric to tailor a Tibetan chuba robe would have been a mark of high status that signaled the wealth and standing of its wearer, whether a monastic official, aristocrat, or high-ranking layperson. This robe was preserved and passed down as a family or monastic treasure.

For a similar panel of this pattern at auction, see Bonham's, November 2, 2021, Lot 223, and Christie's, London, November 22, 2000, Lot 128.

Overall very good condition; a few spots of wear and repairs to exterior brocade; some bleeding to pigments from cleaning; light blue lining with some discoloration, scattered stains, and some minor holes.