




Woman's skirt in orange silk made up of two aprons which join together. Each has a flat panel surrounded by a purple border and decorated with symbolic motifs in gold thread couch work and seed stitch. Next to the panel each half of the skirt has a pleated section, with embroidery of which the motifs continue along the outer surfaces of the pleats, though the threads themselves do not. Motifs on each flat panel are phoenix, butterflies, grasshopper, qilin, chrysanthemum, peony, and magnolia. In the border the decoration is of floral sprays, phoenix, butterflies, castanets, musical stone and rhinoceros horn. On the lower part are floral sprays, butterflies and phoenix, and in the border along the hem are birds, floral sprays and an animal, possibly a deer. Undyed cotton fabric waistband is secured with knot buttons of the same fabric, though some loops are missing. The skirt is in part lined in pink silk. Additional fastenings including press studs are not original.