About this sheet
Set of Three Antique East Asian Costume & Arms Plates, Ferrario, Milan 1815
This cohesive set of three antique hand-colored plates presents a detailed study of East Asian costume, ceremonial regalia, and arms, published in 1815 as part of Jules Ferrario’s influential series Le Costume Ancien et Moderne, produced in Milan. The series is renowned for its systematic approach to world dress and material culture, and these plates exemplify Ferrario’s intent to document clothing and equipment as distinct objects rather than narrative scenes.
Each plate functions as a visual inventory. One focuses on garments and textile elements, illustrating tunics, skirts, and decorative motifs rendered with symbolic embroidery and applied ornament. The second plate concentrates on headgear, insignia, staffs, and ceremonial accessories, emphasizing markers of status and ritual identity. The third plate completes the group with armor, weapons, masks, and protective equipment, introducing a martial dimension while maintaining the same analytical and object-based layout.
All three plates share a consistent visual grammar, with finely engraved outlines, restrained hand coloring, numbered elements, and isolated objects set against a neutral ground. When displayed together, they form a balanced and intellectually coherent triptych, progressing from dress to identity and finally to protection and authority. The set reads like a museum vitrine translated into print, offering both decorative appeal and scholarly clarity.
As with other plates from the Milan edition of Le Costume Ancien et Moderne, each sheet bears the original embossed blind stamp associated with the series. This dry stamp was applied at the time of publication and serves as an important indicator of authenticity. As issued, the embossing may lightly overlap the image area, a characteristic feature of original examples.
The set is offered unframed and is particularly well suited to being displayed together as a single curated group, appealing to collectors of costume prints, scholars of historical dress, and interior designers seeking refined, historically grounded wall compositions.
Condition Report:
Overall good antique condition. Light age-related toning and minor scattered spotting consistent with early 19th-century paper. Original hand coloring well preserved. Each sheet bears the original embossed blind stamp of the Milan edition, which may lightly overlap the image area as issued. No major tears or restorations observed.
Framing Tips:
For optimal presentation, frame all three plates uniformly to emphasize their cohesion as a set. Neutral mats in ivory, warm white, or soft stone tones will complement the paper and hand coloring without distraction. Simple frames in dark walnut, ebonized wood, or muted gilt work particularly well and echo the scholarly character of the prints. Hanging the plates in a horizontal row with even spacing creates a refined, museum-style display.
Keywords:
antique costume print set, Jules Ferrario, Le Costume Ancien et Moderne, 1815 print, Milan publication, East Asian costume, Asian dress history, antique arms and armor prints, ceremonial regalia, historical clothing plates, hand-colored engraving, 19th century costume study, ethnographic costume prints, material culture illustration, antique decorative prints, museum style wall art, scholarly costume plates, blind stamp authenticity, unframed antique print set
