宋 緙絲飛鳥走獸紋包首|Scroll Cover with Animals, Birds, and Flowers

Unknown

11th–12th century · Silk tapestry (kesi) · Asian Art

A classic example of Song tapestry, this elegant scroll cover resembles a famous uncut piece (now in Liaoning Provincial Museum, China). This tapestry entered the Museum’s collection as the handscroll cover for the masterpiece Old Trees, Level Distance by Guo Xi (ca. 1020–ca. 1090). The placement of the animals in the pattern illustrates a strong connection with tapestries from Central Asia, which may have served as the source for the introduction of the tapestry technique to China.

Artist

Unknown

Date

11th–12th century

Medium

Silk tapestry (kesi)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of John M. Crawford Jr., 1983