This type of riding jacket (magua) was introduced into the informal wardrobe of both men and women in the mid-19th century. The vivid yellow cuffs of this predominantly dark-blue jacket for a Manchu woman might look like a strong fashion statement. In fact, the choice of colour for the fabrics was determined by the rank and age of the wearer. The bright yellow seen in this example was the prerogative of the empress dowager and the empress, while deep blue was customarily worn by elderly women or widows. The subtly orchestrated butterfly patterns on the main body, woven in gold and silver threads on a dark blue ground, were particularly popular among older women.
The ‘one hundred-butterflies’ design symbolised the desire for long life, as the word for 'butterfly' (die) is homophonous with another Chinese word meaning 'eighty years of age'. The metallic threads used to weave this jacket are extremely fine, less than 0.25 mm in thickness, made from gilt-paper wrapped round a red silk core or silvered-paper wrapped round a white silk core. By contrast, the fluttering butterflies shown on the yellow cuff have added painted details and shading to enliven the colour -- a cost-cutting method that was regularly incorporated into tapestry silk in the late 19th century.
Four gilt-brass buttons secured with black satin loops adorn the central front opening. Each bears a winged lion design on the front, the maker’s mark 'T.W. & W' and a quality mark 'DOUBLE GILT' encircling the shank on the back. These marks indicate that the buttons were made by Trelon, Weldon, & Weil, a company founded in Paris in 1845, and that the buttons were gilt twice.