The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Cloth of Gold: Displayed Falcons

Cloth of Gold: Displayed Falcons

mid-1200s
Silk and gold thread, lampas
Overall: 57.5 x 18.4 cm (22 5/8 x 7 1/4 in.); Mounted: 67.9 x 29.8 cm (26 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1996.297
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This silk lampas weave textile with gold thread features double-headed falcons against a background of vine scrolls.

Description

Mongol ceremonial robes, known as zhisun, were made from textiles woven with gold and silk of one color. These were given by Mongol emperors to members of the court to be worn during festivals and on important occasions that usually included lavish banquets. Like the Winged Lions and Griffins (CMA 1989.50), the design of this silk is a uniquely Central Asian synthesis of eastern Iranian and Chinese elements. Motifs and technical details shared by the two silks, moreover, leave no doubt that they were produced in the same city.
  • ?–1996
    (Robert Tevis, Atherton, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1996–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Renaissance Armor, Early Islamic Ceramic, French Vase, Gleitsman Painting Added to Museum Collection,” December 13, 1996, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. 1997. pp. 144-145, color reproduction, p. 145; detail reproduction figure 51, p. 128
    Watt, James C. Y., and Maxwell K. Hearn. The World of Khubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010. fig. 8, p. 8
  • The World of Kubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 20, 2010-January 2, 2011).
    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=Cloth of Gold: Displayed Falcons|url=false|author=|year=mid-1200s|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.297