Damask with Cloud Palmettes and Chinese Characters
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Damask with Cloud Palmettes and Chinese Characters
- Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
- Date: 14th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Silk satin damask
- Dimensions: Overall: 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
Mount: 15 x 12 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (38.1 x 31.7 x 3.8 cm) - Classification: Textiles-Woven
- Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1946
- Object Number: 46.156.20
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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China
ca. 1330–32
China
14th century
Guo Xi
ca. 1080
Emperor Huizong
early 12th century
Unidentified artist
mid-12th century
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