fragment of what should have be one of the most beautiful qing dragon robe; a very rare all embroidered gold yellow ground imperial robe with five claws dragon (see one pic). to get an idee of the original power of the design one should look in the eyes of the dragon pictured here in the main image, althought it is very worn. unfortunately most of the paper gold wrapped threads are hanging out of their original design place. the longevity idee (according to the daoistic tradition) is often represented by the lingzhi fungi (ganoderma lucidum) here directly mixed in the clouds iconography. this mushroom is also the main design of the ruyi scepter. the term ruyi is directly borrowed from the chinese language and means something like: to your liking . a kind of good luck wish to realisation of all the wishes that somebody can have. i have rarely seen this pattern represented in this kind of intensity like here. rich intensiv well preserved colors and lots of fascinating details. though in very worn condition this is the survivor of an incredibly beautiful and great workmanship. it needs conservation and mounting.it has a very supple handle, so its state of conservation is very stable. from the early 18th century.H 138cm base 114cm