Phoenix crown
Encyclopedia
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
on ceremonies or official occasions. It is also the traditional headgear for brides. It is adorned with gold dragons, phoenixes made with kingfisher feathers
Kingfisher feather art: tian-tsui
For 2,000 years, the Chinese have been using the iridescent blue feathers of kingfisher birds as an inlay for fine art objects and adornment, from hairpins, headdresses, and fans to even panels and screens...
, beaded pheasants, pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s and gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s. The number of pearls used range from 3426 to 5449 pieces, while the number of gemstones used range from 95 to 128 pieces. These pearls, gemstones and more kingfisher feathers are made into ornamental flowers, leaves, clouds, and bobin (博鬢, the 'wings' at the side/back of the crown). The weight of the entire crown range from 2 to 3 kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
s. Phoenix crowns were first developed in Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, and were worn through the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, with many changes made with time.
There are different varieties of phoenix crowns, depending on the number of dragons, phoenixes and pheasants adorned, and the presence or absence of certain ornaments. Phoenix crowns of empresses includes 12-dragons-9-phoenixes crown (十二龍九鳳冠), 9-dragons-9-phoenixes crown (九龍九鳳冠), 6-dragons-3-phoenixes crown (六龍三鳳冠), and the 3-dragons-2-phoenixes crown (三龍二鳳冠). 9-pheasants crown (九翟冠), 7-pheasants crown (七翟冠) and 5-pheasants crown (五翟冠), adorned with beaded pheasants and gold phoenixes, are worn by royal concubines and princesses (includes wives of princes), with the number of pheasants representing the wearer's royal rank. All other noblewomen/wives and daughters of officials wear the pearl-and-emerald crown (珍珠翡翠冠), where the crown is just adorned with pearls and gemstones (in various ornamental shapes). Phoenix crowns worn with diyi
Diyi
Diyi is the traditional Chinese attire worn by empresses and crown princesses in the Ming Dynasty. It is a formal wear meant only for ceremonial purposes. It is a form of shenyi, and is embroidered with long-tail pheasants and circular flowers . It is worn with phoenix crown...
have no dangling string of pearls by the sides. Only the phoenix crown of empresses and crown princesses (wife of crown prince) can have bobin adorned, with the empress's crown having 6 blades of bobin (3 on each side), while the crown princess can only have 4 blades of bobin (2 on each side). All other noblewomen cannot have bobin on their phoenix crown.