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Wall hanging with centaur and warrior
2nd century B.C.–2nd century A.D.
Tapestry-woven wool
Centaur fragment: warp 21 5/8 in. (55 cm); weft 17 3/4 in. (45
cm); warrior fragment: warp 20 1/2 in. (52 cm); weft 18 7/8 in.
(48 cm)
Excavated at Sampula cemetery, Lop, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, 1983–84
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
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This fragment of a monumental wool tapestry consists of an upper
area with a centaur and a lower section with a spear-bearing warrior.
The centaur of Greek mythology probably reached northwestern India
and points further east as early as the military conquest of Alexander
the Great in the third century B.C. The depiction of the centaur
in this fragment, however, particularly the clothing and the horn
that it plays, indicates that the textile was not manufactured
in the Mediterranean region. The gigantic warrior also wears clothing
similar to that known from various parts of Central Asia.
A Closer Look
This striking wool textile fragment with the head of a blue-eyed
warrior was a pair of pants for part of its history, before being
returned to its original function as a wall hanging. Although
it was made in Central Asia, it incorporates a Greek
centaur, a mythical creature that has the head of a man and
the body of a horse. Central Asian influence can be seen, however,
in the horn that the centaur plays and his hooded cloak. The placement
of vibrant animals in a bed of colorful flowers is another hallmark
of Central
Asian textiles. Similarly, the headband and floral lapel of
the warrior recall costumes of this region.
Close examination of the head of the warrior shows that different
color threads were used to create shadows to make his face appear
more realistic and three-dimensional. Contemporaneous painted
murals in Central Asian and in Chinese Buddhist cave-temples indicate
that the pictorial techniques of modeling and shading were brought
from the West to China, where they were used for a time but eventually
abandoned. These methods were not used again until
the eighteenth
century, when European painters reintroduced them.
Notice
• The striking blue eyes of the warrior
• The details of the centaur and the surrounding
floral elements
• The contrast between the two halves of the
design—the centaur among flowers versus the head of the
warrior. Notice how the soldier’s spear intrudes into the
top half of the composition.
Consider
• Imagine what someone would have looked like
wearing pants made of this fabric! It is presumed that this
textile was returned to its original format as a wall hanging
in order to preserve it, but why might it have been made into
an article of clothing? Can you think of any other examples
of clothing or bodily adornment that are decorated with large
pictorial compositions of people or mythical creatures?
Visit the Met
• The Met has several fragments
of murals from Central Asian and Chinese Buddhist cave temples
that employ shading to create a three-dimensional effect. Some
are displayed on the Balcony of the Great Hall in the exhibition
of Central Asian art and others are in the Charlotte C. Weber
Galleries.
Did You Know?
Whereas most textiles in this exhibition were made
of silk produced from the cocoons of silkworms, wool was used
to make this item. The herdsmen who lived north of China kept
sheep and goats, among other livestock, and thus were able to
weave and sell woolen fabrics. Compare the texture and visual
appearance of this wall hanging with the
Textile of Confronted
Birds in Pearl Roundels.
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