Palace Museum Collection of Qing Dynasty Imperial Concubines' Hair Accessories

Author: Compiled by the Forbidden City Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-08-01
Features: The gold, jade, and precious stones used in the headdresses and robes of imperial consorts during the Qing Dynasty are recorded in the Da Qing Huìdiǎn (Great Qing Code of Regulations). These include six types: court hats, gold hairpins, earrings, collar hairpins, ceremonial hats, and court beads. Among these, the number and type of ornaments vary depending on the rank of the consort. For example, the court hats of the Empress and concubines of the rank of Imperial Noble Consort have two tiers at the top, with seven golden phoenixes on the vermilion silk sash; the court hats of concubines and palace maids have two tiers at the top, with five golden phoenixes. As for the number of pearls, the difference in rank ranges from 320 pearls for the Empress to 192, 188, and 172 pearls for palace maids. The gold hairpins, collar hairpins, and earrings also differ in number and quality according to rank. The above are the ornaments worn by imperial consorts as recorded in the Huìdiǎn. Additionally, there are ornaments not recorded in the Huìdiǎn, such as the "dianzi" (ornamental hairpiece) worn by the Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, and Imperial Noble Consort when they wore ceremonial robes instead of court hats. The Manchu women, from the Empress to the officials' wives, had long worn the "dianzi" as an ornament, but it was only in the late Qing Dynasty that the practice of wearing the dianzi instead of ceremonial hats while wearing robes became popular. Photographs of the Empress Dowager Cixi and Consort Jin wearing dragon robes with dianzi have been preserved, and there are even more images of officials' wives in this attire. Early dianzi took the form of a frame shaped like a winnowing basket, with simple ornaments attached to it. The shamans at the evening sacrifices in the Kunning Palace continued to wear this type of dianzi until Puyi's exile. Manchu women referred to the dianzi worn by the shamans as "fengji zi" (dustpan-shaped dianzi). The original form of the dianzi was only worn by the shamans, but the dianzi worn by the Empress and officials' wives had become highly ornate, adorned with gold, jade, and precious stones, as well as velvet and silk flowers.