Hôtel Drouot > Auction highlights > The Imperial Robe of the Empress Dowager Cixi and Other Wonders of the Qing Dynasty

The Imperial Robe of the Empress Dowager Cixi and Other Wonders of the Qing Dynasty

LUNDI 10 JUIN 2024

On 10 June, the Hôtel Drouot will be hosting the sale, presented by the auction house Aponem, of the exceptional collection amassed by artist, pianist, painter and poet Cheng Zhifan (1924-2021). The 250 lots include silk robes, headdresses, jewellery and jade that pay tribute to the extreme sophistication of Chinese fashion and accessories between the 18th and 20th centuries.

The most desirable silk robes acquired by the collector are embroidered in gold and polychrome thread with traditional Chinese motifs. Most feature dragons symbolising good luck and longevity, and flowers; some are comparable to those in the Imperial Palace Museum collection in Beijing

The flagship lot of this sale is a Chen Yi robe in mauve silk woven with gold and polychrome threads. Dating from the Guangxu period (1875-1908), it was probably designed and made for Cixi, the last Empress of China (estimate: €20,000 – €30,000). Lavishly decorated with narcissus motifs and characters auspicious of longevity, it is almost identical to the robe worn by the Empress when sitting for her portrait by American artist Katharine A. Carl in 1904. Shown at the St. Louis World's Fair, this famous portrait revealed the face of the most senior Qing dynasty ruler to the world for the first time.

The collection features jewellery in gold, silver, silver plate, bronze and brass, the majority set with coloured stones including jade, turquoise, coral and carnelian. These pieces date from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and are accompanied by estimates in a very affordable range (from €80 to €800). Cheng Zhifan’s collection of fine traditional and theatrical headdresses richly decorated with cabochons and embroidery also features in this sale, and includes traditional Chinese headdresses from the early 20th century, each estimated at between €1,500 and €2,000. Lastly, the sale offers a remarkable group of jade objects, including an 18th century ruyi sceptre (estimate: €4,000 - €6,000) and a delicate celadon jade pendant carved with a goose among clouds, dating from the Ming Dynasty (estimate: €1,000 - €1,500).

Cheng Zhifan (Tchen Gi-Vane)

Tchen Gi-Vane (1924-2021), a Franco-Chinese artist, pianist and poet, had lived in Rambouillet, France with her husband since the 1950s. The couple, who were passionate about traditional Chinese culture, built a veritable Pagoda in the garden of their home in 1976 to preserve and display their collection of Chinese objects, antique textiles and musical instruments that Tchen Gi-Vane had collected over the years. In this astonishing building, the couple received countless visitors, friends, journalists and personalities from all over the world.