How to look at a Dragon Robe: The 2026 John Dinkel Memorial Lecture

Rachel Silberstein is coming to the Royal Pavilion on Thursday 19 November for a talk called How to look at a Dragon Robe. It's the 2026 John Dinkel Memorial Lecture, organised by Brighton Museums, and it's set in the William IV Room within the Pavilion Garden.

The talk is all about the dragon robe, which was the most important regulated garment of the Qing Chinese government. That's the part most of us will recognise: the robes worn by the imperial court, where every detail—the colour, the number of dragons, the specific symbols—was strictly controlled and told you exactly where the wearer stood in the hierarchy. Silberstein spends the evening breaking down how to actually read them, so you're not just looking at a beautiful piece of silk but understanding the rules that went into it.

What makes this one interesting, though, is that she doesn't stop at the court. She looks at examples worn by people outside the imperial administration—women, actors, deities, and foreigners—and considers how the robe worked when it left the hands of the officials who designed it. It's a good way to see the gap between the strict rules of the Qing government and how the robes were actually used in the real world.

The talk also ties into the exhibition Fire and Water: Dreaming of Dragons, so if you're already planning to see that, this is a natural companion. It's a chance to hear the history behind the things you'll be seeing on the walls. The lecture starts at 6.30pm in the William IV Room, Royal Pavilion Garden, Brighton BN1 1FN. Tickets are £15 per person, with a 15% discount for members, and that includes a drink on arrival.