The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Silk with Dogs and Birds amid Vines
1350–1400
Overall: 21 x 34.9 cm (8 1/4 x 13 3/4 in.); Mounted: 29.2 x 43.2 cm (11 1/2 x 17 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
Silks from China and the Islamic Near East introduced radically new designs with asymmetry and exotic animals around 1300, which Italian silk designers incorporated in an international style to compete with imports from the East. These large palmette leaves were adapted from Islamic silks whereas the recumbent deer, birds, and dogs (visible at the bottom) were popular Italian motifs. Textiles were lucrative commercial commodities during the Middle Ages. Intrepid Italian merchants traveled by land and sea to China, Mongolia, India, and the Islamic Near East, led by the maritime republics of Venice and Genoa. The renowned Venetian, Marco Polo, published his overland journey across Asia to China in 1265.- Renaissance Textiles (Textile Rotation) - Gallery 115. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 14, 2012-December 10, 2013).Draped in Splendor: Renaissance Textiles and the Church. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2003-September 26, 2004).Gallery 214 installation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 1991) (after 3 months restoration)Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).
- {{cite web|title=Silk with Dogs and Birds amid Vines|url=false|author=|year=1350–1400|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.14