The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Embroidery with Birds
700s-800s
(618-906)
Overall: 157.5 x 25.7 cm (62 x 10 1/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
These engaging little birds are embroidered in a naturalistic style that developed during the 8th and 9th centuries. All but one are oriented away from the central pair that flanks a tulip growing from a hill. Contrasting with the spontaneity of the birds is the structured pattern of the silk ground—rosettes within a lozenge grid. Such contrasts frequently occur among embroideries of the Tang dynasty. Also characteristic of embroideries from that period is the use of discrete areas of color with no attempts at shading. The form of the birds, the hill, and the flower are based on Persian models. The introduction of foreign motifs into the decorative arts of Central Asia and China was one of the most important results of active trading in precious objects along the Silk Road.- Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. 1997. pp. 168-169, color reproduction, p. 168-9, detail reproduction, p. 169"A Meeting of Traditions." HALI 95 (November 1997): 102-104 Mentioned and reproduced: P. 102Cunningham, Michael R., Stanislaw J. Czuma, Anne E. Wardwell, and Keith Wilson. Masterworks of Asian Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1998. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 44-45
- When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian & Chinese Textiles from the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 26, 1997-January 4, 1998); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 26, 1997-January 4, 1998); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998).
- {{cite web|title=Embroidery with Birds|url=false|author=|year=700s-800s|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1994.96