Two (2) Chinese embroidered silk wedding skirts, each on a green silk ground with embroidered panels of blue, rose and gold flowers, butterflies and bats, separated by black silk bindings and a black silk waistband. 33″ L and 35″L. The 35″L skirt features “Forbidden Stitch” embroidered motifs, is lined in pink silk, and appears slightly older than the shorter skirt (which is unlined). Note: these skirts, and the skirts in the previous lot, were gifts from Henry Puyi, the last emperor of China, to Luke Lea Jr. of Nashville, Tennessee, liaison to Gen. Douglas MacArthur in negotiations during the war crimes trials of Japanese officials in the 1940s. A period photograph of Luke Lea Jr. with Henry Puyi, taken around the time these skirts were given, may be viewed in the entry for the previous lot. A copy is available to the winning bidder.

PROVENANCE: By descent from Col. Luke Lea, Jr. to present consignor.

CONDITION: Both with some wear and fraying/small losses to bottom edges and to black binding. 35″L skirt has a couple of 1/8″ stains to front panel and some other scattered tiny dark stains to other panels, plus several other areas of large but pale stains throughout. Small areas of ground loss/shattering to embroidery on back panel. The pink silk lining exhibits fading, some staining, and fraying. 33″ skirt has some pronounced fraying, shattering and losses to black binding, a few tiny dark scattered stains, and a few light stains.