Azurite blue in the Qing dynasty

Abstract

Azurite blue (shi qin, 石青) was one of the most important colors in the Qing (清) dynasty; however, most people, even those familiar with color description, may find it difficult to describe its exact appearance. To determine and offer a more precise description of azurite blue, nine formal items of clothing, including three ceremonial robes of emperors and their wives, and six court robes from the Qing dynasty were examined using the Natural Color System (NCS) classification and the colors were labeled based on the NCS system. Assessments indicate that while azurite blue in different garments varies on a narrow scale, the colors of the royal robes range from S8010‐R60B to S8505‐R50B, and a color ranging between two NCS notations S8505‐R80B to S8010‐R65B represent those of the officers.