Untitled

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late 13th–14th century · Silk and gold thread lampas · Asian Art

This fragment is a rare example of cloth of gold—a textile of silk woven with gold thread—that was produced in China and Central Asia under the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The two lower roundels each feature a robust dragon chasing a flaming pearl; an upper row of three depicts phoenixes, now mostly lost. All are set against a ground of tiny gold hexagons.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 13th–14th century

Medium

Silk and gold thread lampas

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of George Hecksher, 2012