In the Song Dynasty, it was a common phenomenon for women to wear hairpin hats. The hat ornaments of noble women, just like those of men, also had distinctions in ranks. The hairpin hat was the ceremonial hat for imperial-appointed women in the Song Dynasty. The decorations on it were important symbols to distinguish ranks, and the ranks were classified according to the number of hairpins and fixed hairpins. The higher the rank, the more the number of hairpins and fixed hairpins, and the number increased or decreased in even numbers. In the painting, Empress Wu is wearing a dragon-pattern hairpin hat, which was exclusive to the empress and the empress dowager. NSM collaborates with Zhejiang Sci-Tech University team and reproduce it on 1:1 scale.

Date of Production: Original one: around 1150; reproduction: modern

Place of Design: Hangzhou

Embroidery, beading

Access number: 2022.84.1

Museum: China National Silk Museum