正面
The front of the court robe.
Yellow Satin Court Robe Embroidered with Golden Dragons
The yellow satin court robe embroidered with golden dragons dates back to Emperor Qianlong's reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is 144 centimeters in body length, and its sleeves are 190 centimeters long. Court robes were ceremonial garments worn by the emperor and empresses on important occasions such as sacrificial ceremonies.
This robe was for the emperor, embroidered with more than 40 lifelike golden dragons in diverse shapes. The forward-looking dragons on the chest and the back look majestic. The threads used to embroider the golden dragons are not pure fabric, but fine gold wires twisted on silk threads, so the scales of the dragons glisten with golden luster.
In addition, the robe is adorned with the "twelve ornaments", such as mountains, dragons, pheasants, axes, and bows, which symbolize the emperor's virtues. The "twelve ornaments" were initially used to praise legendary ancient rulers Shun and Yu and gradually evolved into exclusive patterns to decorate imperial apparel for ceremonial and sacrificial occasions in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In most cases, not all the "twelve ornaments" were embroidered on the garments.
The court robes of the Qing Dynasty had distinctive features of Manchu costumes such as bow-shaped tippet collars and horseshoe-shaped sleeves, all of which hearkened back to the Manchu traditions of horse riding and archery. After the rulers of the Qing Dynasty came to power in the Central Plains region, they embraced traditional Han culture while retaining their Manchu lifestyles. As such, China has been a unified multi-ethnic nation since ancient times.
背面
The back of the court robe.
明黄色缎绣金龙朝袍
明黄色缎绣金龙朝袍制于清乾隆年间，身长144厘米，两袖通长190厘米。朝袍，是帝后在盛大典礼、祭祀活动时穿用的礼服之一。
此件为皇帝朝袍，绣金龙四十余条，造型丰富，细腻灵动。胸前、背后的正龙，瞠目张口，十分威严。绣金龙所用的“金线”，并非染制得来，而是将金箔切成细丝，捻绕于丝线芯上，以此绣龙，呈现出龙鳞闪闪的效果。此外，朝袍上绣十二章纹中的山、龙、华虫（雉鸡）、黼（fǔ)、黻（fú)等，象征帝王美德。这始于对舜、禹的歌颂，明清时期逐渐成为帝王礼服和吉服的专用纹样，但多数情况下十二章纹并不绣全。
清代朝袍具有鲜明的满族服饰特点，如形似满弓的披肩领、马蹄袖等，均彰显其骑射习俗。清代统治者入主中原后，在接纳中国传统汉文化的同时，也保留了自身的民族特色，反映出中华民族自古以来就是多民族共同体，具有突出的统一性。
