Untitled

Unknown

14th century · Silk satin damask · Asian Art

Trade or diplomacy must have played a role in the life of textiles such as this example (now darkened but originally blue), which, according to records, was found in Egypt. The palmette pattern originated in Central Asia and the eastern Iranian world. Here, it also features a Chinese cloud border and flawlessly rendered versions of the Chinese character for longevity (shou) in the center of and atop each one. Longevity damasks like this piece must have been present in other regions, too, as they probably inspired the designs of some of the rare surviving late thirteenth- to early fourteenth-century carpets of Konya, Turkey.

Artist

Unknown

Date

14th century

Medium

Silk satin damask

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1946