Liao dynasty's Textile at the Cleveland Museum of Art
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Pair of Headpieces, China, Liao dynasty (907-1125). Embroidery, silk, 22.3 x 53.8 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Lisbet Holmes 1995.109.
These headpieces are embroidered with butterflies, birds, animals, flowers, leaves, and delicate vine scrolls. In general, the design is related to the theme of the lotus pond, best known from Liao tomb paintings. Paired ducks or geese swimming in water and looking in opposite directions seem to have become popular in the north of China before spreading further south and to Central Asia. On the other hand, recumbent animals looking back are a Central Asian image that migrated to northern China. Headpieces of this shape, intersected by two bands and secured by ties, have a long history in northern China. A gold replica was found in a tomb dating as early as 500–550.
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Woman's Robe, China, Liao dynasty (907-1125). Silk and gold thread: embroidery on silk gauze ground; silk lining, silk batting, 130 x 177 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1995.20.
The robe is embroidered on the back with clouds and paired phoenixes (associated with female members of the imperial family). Single phoenixes and clouds occur at the shoulders. On the front, fragments of another large pair of phoenixes remain. The birds and clouds are set against a scrolling vine pattern embroidered with gold thread, of which only the gold leaf remains. The design was drawn and then embroidered with silk and gold threads on lengths of fabric (gauze backed with silk) before they were cut and seamed. The robe was then lined with silk batting between the layers for warmth. Toward the end of the Liao dynasty, rules for wearing Khitan-style dress (overlapping toward the left) became increasingly relaxed. This may explain the robe's front overlap toward the right, which accords with Chinese custom.
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Silk Belt, China, Liao dynasty (907-1125). Compound twill weave, silk, 24.3 x 197.5 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Lisbet Holmes, 1995.108.
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Fragment from a Garment (larger fragment), China, Liao dynasty (907-1125), 10th century. Weft-faced compound twill, silk. Overall: 138 x 133 cm; Mounted: 48.9 x 58.4 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1992.112.1.
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Fragment from a Garment (smaller fragment, outer layer), China, Liao dynasty (907-1125), 10th century. Weft-faced compound twill, silk. Overall: 35.9 x 46 cm; Mounted: 48.9 x 58.4 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1992.112.2.a.
This textile preserves part of an overall design of large, radiating floral motifs arranged in staggered, horizontal rows. In the spaces between are pairs of flying cranes and cloud scrolls that are common motifs in Liao paintings and decorative arts. The loose structure of the pattern and the naturalism of the motifs represent the final evolution of a pattern that had originated in the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907).
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Fragment from a Garment (smaller fragment, batting), China, Liao dynasty (907-1125), 10th century. Silk. The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1992.112.2.b.
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Fragment from a Garment (smaller fragment, lining), China, Liao dynasty (907-1125), 10th century. Silk. The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1992.112.2.b.
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Pair of Boots, Northern China, Liao dynasty (907-1125). Silk: tapestry weave; two kinds of metal threads, 47.5 x 30.8 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1993.158.
This magnificent pair of boots, made of finely woven silk tapestry (kesi), features two phoenixes in flight chasing a flaming pearl. Although the bright colors of the fabric have become muted from being buried in a tomb and the gold threads are partly disintegrated, the once lavish use of gold and the Chinese-inspired phoenix motif suggest that the boots were made for a member of the Liao imperial family, probably a woman. At the time the boots were made in the Khitan-occupied territory in northern China, footbinding was introduced among upper-class women in southern China. The high value the Khitan people accorded to boots relates to their mobile, seminomadic lifestyle.
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Pair of Boots, China, Northern, Liao dynasty (907-1125). Silk: compound twill; silk and gold: tapestry; silk: tabby, gauze, batting; leather; 34.9 x 25 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1992.349.
The fabric and tailoring of garments have always defined social status. For these boots, different outer fabrics were used: a patterned silk for the leg portion, and tapestry (kesi) for the foot. Since both were considered luxury fabrics, they were pieced together from remnants too precious to discard. Consequently, the silk pattern was not used in relation to the form of the boot, as seen in some other imperial boots. By contrast, these boots would have been made for a court official, not a member of the imperial family. The patterned silk was woven with geese flanking a vase of flowers on a stand and surrounded by cloud scrolls. The Chinese motif of flowers arranged in a vase was adopted by the Liao during the 11th century and indicates an 11th- or early 12th-century date for the boots.