Headdress for a Manchu court lady (dianzi) , gilt copper alloy; kingfisher feathers; gemstones; glass; pearl simulants; silk netting; rattan, China, 1860-1900

Headdress for a Manchu court lady. Gold openwork enriched with kingfishers feathers, pearls and semi-precious stones, mounted on a framework of black silk strengthened with wire.
The headdress slopes slightly back from the forehead and widens a little towards the top; the back projects from the back of the head, presenting a flat semi-circular surface. this surface is richly decorated with a border of floral forms and two phoenixes in gold set with kingfisher feathers, surrounding a central device of a large pink stone surmounted by a butterfly with coral body and jade wings, the whole enriched with pearls set in and various semi-precious stones. In the front, the upper edge of the headdress is set with seven rectangular openwork plaques of the same style, each with a fairly large semi-precious stone in the middle, with pearl or coral enrichment. The lower part of the front surface is adorned in the same style with central device of a butterfly and flowers executed in pearls and semi-precious stones.
Parts of the gold-work are slightly bent and displaced; the kingfisher feather is missing in a few places, also one or two of the stones.

Given by Mrs Jennifer Barker

This horse hoof-shaped headdress (dianzi) would have been worn by a court lady during festive occasions. The distinctive shape, which also appeared on the cuffs and heels of other courtly attire, is a vestige of the horse-riding heritage of the Manchu dynasty. The front is richly decorated with twelve floral plaques, each embellished with kingfisher feathers, imitation pearls and a mixture of natural gemstones and simulants in glass. The back has a large flower, flanked by two phoenixes and a butterfly. All of these ornaments are attached to the headdress with coil springs, allowing them to ‘tremble’ as the wearer moves, similar to the en tremblant jewellery worn in 18th-century Paris.

By the late 18th century, when the production of natural pearls was exhausted, imitation pearls were either imported from Europe or sourced locally in Guangdong province to meet demand. Three varieties of imitation pearls have been used in this example, including glass bubbles painted on the interior with a pearl-like substance made from fish scales, known as essence d’orient; glass bubbles with the same coating, but painted on the exterior; and wax beads coated with essence d’orient.

M.118-1966