Textile Fragment with “Longevity” Design

2nd century BC

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This fragment is meticulously embroidered with a stylized cloud pattern in four colors: pink, orange, green, and blue. The vivid patterns express the ancient Chinese ideology of immortality. The inventory of the tomb’s burial goods, written on bamboo strips, records this type of textile as a “longevity embroidery” (changshou xiu), providing sound evidence of the Han-period name for this decorative motif.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

西汉 “长寿绣”绢残片
Title: Textile Fragment with “Longevity” Design
Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Date: 2nd century BC
Culture: China
Medium: Silk embroidery (chain stitches) on silk plain weave
Dimensions: Image: 22 7/16 × 16 7/16 in. (57 × 41.8 cm)
Frame: 31 3/8 × 25 3/16 × 1 in. (79.7 × 64 × 2.5 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
Credit Line: Lent by Hunan Provincial Museum
Curatorial Department: Asian Art