Lady's tunic, woven silk with embroidery in coloured silks, made in China for the Indian Parsi community, Qing dynasty, 19th century

Lady's tunic of dark blue silk, embroidered with coloured silks. Cut square, without sleeves. A Chinese landscape, with human figures (two riding phoenixes, some seated at table, a number playing musical instruments, etc.), butterflies, birds (including ducks in a lotus pond and a peacock), beasts, flowering plants and trees, parakeets, and buildings. There is a border on the shoulders, down either side of the narrow front opening, along the lower end and round the arm openings; it consists of a repeating pattern of confronting birds. At the top of the back is a lobed foliation with diaper fillings.

Given by Her Majesty Queen Mary

According to the original acquisition record, this object was given to Queen Mary by Mr Imre Schwaiger, who said that it was from 'the Summer Palace', and taken to India where he found it in 1923. The Summer Palace refers to the imperial summer retreat Yuanming Yuan, located north of Beijing, which was plundered and destroyed by British and French troops during the Second Opium War in 1860. Another remark in the archive records states that this object was made in China for the 'Parsees of Bombay'. It is certainly very unlikely that this object came from Yuanming Yuan. This provenance was sometimes added to objects from China to give them more kudos and monetary value.

T.87-1925