Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Ceremonial Headdress
This headdress was likely once worn by the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), the effective ruler of China during the later years of the Qing Dynasty. It is an exquisite example of Chinese decoration and the symbolism used to express one's rank. The small phoenixes emerging from the surface represent the empress, while the countless pearls and gemstones mark this piece as something special for the adornment of the highest-ranking woman in Chinese society.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Auguste F. Chamot Collection; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1907 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2006-2009 | Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
China (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 9 1/4 × W: 12 × D: 8 7/16 in. (23.5 × 30.5 × 21.5 cm); Mount H: 13 × W: 12 × D: 11 13/16 in. (33.02 × 30.5 × 30 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1907
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
86.3
