Daoist priest’s robe (jiangyi)

An inscription painted on the back lining reveals that this robe was made in 1746 for the head of a Daoist monastery on Mount Longhu, in present-day Jiangxi Province. A classic example of the poncho-like, sleeveless Daoist style, the robe is covered with gold threads in an allover spiral pattern. Daoist symbols of good fortune and longevity—bats, white cranes, small pagodas, and phoenixes—appear within lozenge-shaped medallions of loose clouds formed of silk thread. The round central medallion on the back features a large pagoda and white cranes, also worked in silk. Sun and moon symbols adorn the shoulders.