Jacket of a Manchu woman (magua). Informal padded wear for winter. Front fastening with five gilt buttons, long and wide sleeves, straight cuffs, short slits at side, no collar. Coral silk plain weave lining.
Navy blue silk satin ground embroidered with coloured floss silks in satin and Pekin knot stitch and gold thread in couched work. The main body is embroidered with scattered floral designs (prunus, orchid, peonies) and large butterflies. Neck, front opening, hem and slits are trimmed with decorative borders made of a narrow black silk satin bias cut band, a wider black silk satin band embroidered in shades of blue in satin stitch with flowers and in gold thread in couched work with Buddhist symbols, and an applied warp-patterned ribbon of white ground and coloured figures. At the cuffs the trimming is made of a blue satin bias cut band and two warp patterned ribbon, one wide, one narrow, both white ground and coloured figures.Woman's jacket, embroidered silk, China, 1850-1899