{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O109087"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O109087/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AA2034/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AA2034/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AA2034","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O109087/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O109087","accessionNumber":"829-1896","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"The Court Girdle Worn by the Emperor","type":"generic title"},{"title":"清 冷鑒 皇朝禮器圖式：皇帝朝帶一圖 冊","type":"published title"}],"summaryDescription":"\"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty\" is an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The main body of the commission began in 1750 and was completed in 1759. It was a conclusion of the Emperor's decade long efforts to regulate the ritual codes and procedures as a means of ruling since his enthronement, and serves as a record of the Emperor's passion for a rigid ritualised life.\r\n\r\nAs one of the major imperial commissions the book is of monumental scale and collaborative in nature. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (1708-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven copies were produced and stored in libraries across the empire. The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts. \r\n\r\nThe museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming yuan Summer Palace, Beijing.\r\n\r\nThe current  page bears an explanatory text about the materials and the use of the court girdle worn by the Emperor. The text may be translated as follows: “The Court girdle (no.1) worn by the Emperor. Note respectfully: According to the regulation of the present Dynasty, it is yellow in colour with four round gold clasps, and set with red, blue or turquoise precious stones, each of which is adorned with five eastern pearls, and twenty ordinary pearls. The left and right pendants are light blue and white in colour. Each widens at the bottom and is pointed. In the centre each is bound by a round golden clasp, set with thirty pearls. The pendant pouches are richly embroidered and are accompanied by an ivory spike and a knife. All the strings are of a bright yellow. They are worn in the grand rites.”","physicalDescription":"A page of \"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty\", an illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795). The book consists of six parts - ceremonial vessels, scientific equipments, dress, musical instruments, insignia, and weaponry, containing more than 1300 leaves of illustrations and explanatory texts. It shows the court gridle worn by the Emperor. The text is arranged in ten columns.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Leng Jian","id":"AUTH357288"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"colour","id":"AAT184298"},{"text":"silk","id":"AAT14072"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Ink and colour on silk","categories":[{"text":"Illustration","id":"THES48938"},{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"}],"styles":[{"text":"Qing","id":"AAT18478"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"EAS","id":"THES48596"},"images":["2006AA2034"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"008","id":"THES393746"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Illustrated manuscript","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Beijing","id":"x32780"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1736-1795","earliest":"1736-01-01","latest":"1795-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":"Qing dynasty"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"42.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"41.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"The measurements refer to per page","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"“The Court girdle (no.1) worn by the Emperor. Note respectfully: According to the regulation of the present Dynasty, it is yellow in colour with four round gold clasps, and set with red, blue or turquoise precious stones, each of which is adorned with five oriental pearls, and twenty ordinary pearls. The left and right pendants are light blue and white in colour. Each widens at the bottom and is pointed. In the centre each is bound by a round golden clasp, set with thirty pearls. The pendant pouches are richly embroidered and are accompanied by an ivory spike and a knife. All the strings are of a bright yellow. They are worn in the grand rites.”","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Purchased from Walter H Harris and accessioned in 1896. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. A letter from Mr Harris in the V&A archive files states that the leaves were 'taken from the Summer Palace in Pekin' a reference to the Yuanming yuan, the imperial summer retreat located north of Beijing, which was plundered and destroyed by British and French troops during the Second Opium War in 1860. There is no further information in the file as to how Mr Harris acquired the leaves. \r\n\r\nThe main body of the manuscript commission began in 1750 and it was completed in 1759. As many as twenty-seven court painters and calligraphers were working on the commission under five editors-in-chief, Yilu (1695-1767), Jiang Pu (178-1761), Wang Youdun (1692-1758), Guanbao (?-1776) and He Guozong (?-1766). After editing and further expansion in the ensuing years, the manuscript was printed by the Palace Publications Office in the Wuying Palace in 1766, and it was finally included as part of the Four Treasures imperial library project in 1773. For that purpose seven versions in total were produced and stored in libraries across the empire.\r\n\r\nThe museum's collection of the manuscript is incomplete. All its leaves, together with those in the British Library, in the National Museums of Scotland and in the National Museum of Ireland, may have been part of the version kept in the  Wenyuan Pavilion library in the Yuanming Yuan (Summer Palace), Beijing.\r\n\r\nThese pages belong to the first of four groups of leaves from the manuscript acquired by the museum.\r\n","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Page of the illustrated manuscript \"The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Present Dynasty.\" It shows the court girdle (no.1) worn by the Emperor.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Medley, Margret. \"'The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Ch'ing Dynasty' in the Victoria and Albert Museum.\" in Transactionsof the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol.31, 1957/59, pp.95-105. Liu, Lu. \"An Illustrated Manual for Regulating the Qing Society: A Discussion of Several Issues Relating to 'Huangchao liqi tushi'.\" in Palace Museum Journal (Beijing), no.4. 2004, pp.130-44."}],"production":"Reason For Production: Commission","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"帝王","id":"CIT284683"},{"text":"朝帶","id":"CIT0282890"},{"text":"紋飾","id":"CIT284561"},{"text":"壽字紋","id":"CIT289711"},{"text":"蝙蝠 (科)","id":"CIT283655"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["829-1896"],"accessionNumberNum":"829","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1896,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Illustrated manuscript"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-21","recordCreationDate":"2005-02-07","availableToBook":false}}