Twelve-symbol Semiformal Robe Worn during a Ritual for Rain

Chinese Qing dynasty

206cm(w) x 138cm(l)

At ancestral rites, the emperor and officials wore different colors based on the five elements according to the subject of the ancestral rite. They wore red while praying to the sun, sky blue for the moon, and yellow for the land. The emperor would wear a blue dragon robe during rituals for rain.