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Textile with animals on woven inscription
1st–3rd century
Woven silk (1:4 warp-faced compound tabby)
Warp 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm); weft 14 1/2 in. (37 cm)
Excavated at Loulan, Bayingolin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 1980
Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology
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From the first to the third century, the pattern of clouds and animals was a popular motif on Chinese silk, particularly on examples produced in centers such as Khotan and other oasis states along the Silk Road. The blending of clouds and animals can be loosely related to Daoism and the concept of immortality, since clouds are associated with the heavenly realm in which immortals dwell. It is a realm inhabited by snakes, tigers, monkeys, lions, birds, and other creatures. Images of this realm appear in ceramics, lacquer, and metalwork as well as textiles.This fragment, composed of two surviving pieces that have been joined together, is woven with the Chinese characters chang shou ming guang (longevity and prosperity). It belongs to a category of silks known as jin, a Chinese term for silks woven with many colors. The difficulty of this technique, with shades of dark blue, brown, yellow, green, and white (or creamy white), suggests imperial production. Such five-colored silks may correspond to popular theories regarding the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), the Five Directions (west, north, east, south, and center), and the Five Planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn) that were prevalent from the first to the third century.
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